Another Delay, Will Real ID to Travel Really Become a Thing?
We have been hearing about Real ID for a while. This has been the talk for years. We were going to need that little yellow star on our driver's license before we would be able to travel.
We have been anticipating that change for as long as we had been talking about getting that new Panera. The thing is we finally had the Panera doors open but this Real ID has been delayed, again.
This is going on the third delay. Third. I get it being postponed during Covid. Why is this still a delay? Are they hoping that everyone in the US will have already had to renew their license and magically have that yellow star? Because that is really what is going to happen.
The latest deadline was supposed to be May of 2023. OK, so that seemed doable. I already have my star. I got it before the very first deadline. I found a loophole to keep me from going to the office and standing in line. I just went online and got a replacement driver's license. Lo and behold it came with the star when it came in the mail.
I already had a passport so I really didn't even need that darn star. I just follow the rules as much as possible. No, I didn't go to the DPS office. I also believe in working smarter not harder.
This was all before the first deadline of October 1st, 2020. Of course, because of Covid, it was then moved to October 1st of 2021. Then as we were getting closer to that deadline it was moved again to May of 2023.
Here is where we sat until now. We thought that the deadline was looming. No, it's been delayed yet again. The Department of Homeland Security just announced we have even more time.
Another two years. Really. In order to travel by plane domestically you have to have a passport or a Real ID but not until May 7th of 2025. Really I think in the five years that this has been delayed everyone would have already renewed. We would have already had to go through the process.
I had to renew this past year. So even if I didn't already find a workaround to get the yellow star I already had to make a trip. I had to get a new picture and everything. So I can get on a plane.
The DHS is still blaming Covid for the reason we have yet another delay. Apparently, the drivers license offices are still working through a backlog. So maybe this Real ID is never really going to become a thing.
I guess we will have to wait until May of 2025 to find out.