Deadline nears for ‘Real ID’ requirement; how to make sure your Arizona ID complies

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Twenty years ago, in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, U.S. Congress passed more stringent ID requirements if you want to travel by plane.

Now, those requirements are finally going into place, and you have two months to upgrade before the TSA requires them.

The Arizona Travel ID, more commonly known as a “REAL ID,” looks much like your driver’s license but with one key difference: a little star is in the upper right corner.

This means you have passed strict federally mandated security checks, and you’ll need that little gold star to pass TSA agents and board a plane.

“We’re already seeing an uptick in both acceptance of the travel ID and demand for it,” said Bill Lamoreaux, Assistant Communications Director for the Arizona Department of Transportation.

He says if you plan on flying any time after May 7, you must gather all the proper documents before arriving at your local MVD office to obtain the Travel ID.

“When you come in, you definitely need your birth certificate,” Lamoreaux said. “So, a certified copy from the hospital or the real thing. It can’t be the hospital version. It can’t be an uncertified one that you can get for cheaper. It has actually to be a certified birth certificate.”

You’ll also need your social security number and two pieces of mail with your full proper name and address, like a bank statement or utility bill.

These are all extra steps to prove you are who you say you are.

Then, schedule an appointment online at the Arizona MVD Now website, or you can just walk in.

And if you’ve always hated your driver’s license photo, this is your chance to upgrade.

“When you do come in, you want to come in looking however you want. That’s up to you,” Lamoreaux said. “But be ready to take a photo in order to get that new ID. They will take a new photo of you.”

If the process sounds familiar, Arizona and other states have been through it. However, federal officials have postponed the deadline for several reasons, including the pandemic.

They don’t expect that to happen again.

“This is the closest we’ve been,” Lamoreaux said. “So it’s here. And everything we’ve seen and heard from the TSA on their websites and from them, it’s happening. ”

The card costs $25, and it’s suitable for eight years.

If you don’t get the new travel ID, you can still travel using a passport or a federally issued ID, like a military ID.

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