damn, they actually did it. was hoping they'd push the deadline back again like the other dozen times. what a perfect timing too with the administrative state being completely hollowed out so getting new IDs will be an incredible pain in the ass.
this post was submitted on 06 May 2025
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chapotraphouse
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I’ll be honest I still don’t know what a realID is aside from the fact that my drivers license is one
post 9/11 there was a push to standardize all state IDs (including driver licenses, which is the form of ID most Americans carry) into a uniform standard developed by the feds.
there was enough pushback within certain states from the crank demographic that this was a federal government / mark of the beast conspiracy that many states began to resist it by refusing to comply and conform for years. it was a way to excite the base to grandstand against the federal ID.
eventually, the holdout states were told that their state IDs would not be compliant and could not be used for boarding planes. the workaround would be to maintain a passport, which does work as kind of a universal ID within the US. so this has never affected wealthier citizens in resistant states, who of course have all the right travel documents.
resistant states did ultimately offer compliant state IDs, but they cost extra and, at least at first, required applicants to travel to just one or two cities in the state to apply for one. completely unreasonable and onerous.
anyway, it's hilarious that it is still so cocked up. this is how deeply antagonistic states in the US can be towards working with each other in terms of paperwork. which, considering how deeply evil some states are towards their residents and they ways they prefer to abuse them, is par for the course.
it means its federally recognized ID not just state and has more stringent documentation requirements because of that. whole point is to federalize and standardize ID, undercut states that issue ID to undocumented migrants, etc.
But state adoption has been so slow its been pushed back over and over. Probably because even citizens often don't have all that documentation free at hand. Now they're threading that needle by still sorta-allowing non-realID people to fly but making it a guaranteed trip to TSA harassment-ville
Like, what different types of documentation are people using to get their ID that gives them the non realID version?
Like, when I got my license I showed my birth certificate and a bank statement. Obviously not everyone has a birth certificate, but what is it that you give them to get a drivers license that’s not realID?
Not trying to be a dick genuinely curious about the procedure
I think the issue is mostly upgrading an existing license, getting a new license tends to be less complex since there's been less time to lose documents, change names, change addresses ,etc.
you need (in my state) to have a fair amount of documentation, not bad for most people, but enough for them to put it off because its not actually been enforced in any meaningful way until now.
Specifically:
- you need a home address (unclear if there's any way to get one as a homeless person even in lib states and red states seem to be leaning towards stating it's full-on illegal)
- you need extra documentation of all past name changes (if you've been married, are trans, or just have changed names for any reason, this could be a barrier)
- in addition to just having a home address you need documentation of it that someone who's not on a lease or otherwise in a tenuous housing situation won't have, or even just someone that lives with a partner but none of the bills are in their name may struggle.
- all your documents have to match the same home address (its pretty common to not have all that up to date)
- and the rules aren't always super clear on what counts as documentation of what and what doesn't
I don't have one because I went in to get one and they required documentation of my address I didn't have on me (ironically, an existing DL counts as one form of documentation and that itself requires only one document to verify so if I changed my address and then went back the next day to change it again to a realID it would have counted despite me gaining no new documents) so now I'm in the 60% of people without it in my state
Its totally possible to have an existing ID and just keep renewing it even though you wouldn't have the docs to get a new one or a realID. In my state if you don't update your address or name all you need is to know your social security number and have an existing ID
And ofc not everyone has an existing state ID either, its somewhat common not to among certain disadvantaged communities
RealID has documentation requirements that amount to that needed for a passport so they can do fed things with it. And in typical American fashion, they charge you $50+ for the privilege and still don't even give you a passport, just a new driver's license.
O'er the land of the free and the home of Real ID
land of the fee
Awhile ago I was just going to give in and get one, but they make you go to some 3rd party, private company website to put in all your information. That's honestly the sticking point for me. I absolutely do not trust that entity yo secure my data, and I guarantee it's only a matter of time before they get hacked. Fortunately I have a passport.
My state has had real IDs for over ten years now. I’m not sure why others have such weird ways to get them, I didn’t have to put my info into any third party database
Last I tried was in CA. Maybe it's different here in VA where I recently moved. Haven't checked yet.
Yeah each state has their own Real ID so CA may not be the same as VA.
For example showing the difference between symbols, as it is basically up to the state lol: https://www.keesingtechnologies.com/document-verification/real-id/
I'm not from the US, but do they even look at IDs enough to be able to tell the difference between real 'real IDs' and fake 'real IDs'?
Been rolling out lately that they just scan your ID instead of your boarding pass at security to determine whether you can go through the gate.
No, you don't have to include that info when buying a plane ticket, they just know who you are. It's a little bit terrifying!
I'm happy my country has no need for passport or ID when boarding domestic. Just the ticket.
Do I need to get the real ID if I already have a passport?
No, but you have to carry your passport for domestic flights now.
No walkable cities. No flyable country.