HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation reminds customers that there are proactive steps that they can take now to help prepare for when REAL ID-compliant driver’s licenses and ID cards are available to customers who want them in spring 2019.

A federally accepted form of identification (whether it’s the forthcoming Pennsylvania REAL ID driver’s license or ID card, a U.S. Passport/Passport Card, a military ID, etc.) must be used as identification to board a commercial flight or visit a secure federal building on and after Oct. 1, 2020.

“PennDOT is designing its REAL ID process to be as streamlined as possible, with customer convenience at the forefront,” said Secretary of Transportation Leslie S. Richards. “Between now and when REAL ID is available, I would encourage our 10.7 million driver’s license and identification card holders to consider whether REAL ID is right for them, and make sure their required documents are in order.”

If a customer decides that they do want a REAL ID, federal regulations require that to be issued a REAL ID-compliant product, PennDOT must verify the following documents:

Proof of Identity (Original or certified copy of a birth certificate with a raised seal or valid U.S. Passport)

Proof of Social Security Number (Social security card)

Proof of all Legal Name Changes (Marriage license or court order issued by your county’s family court)

Two Proofs of Current, Physical PA Address (Current, unexpired PA license or ID and a no more than 90-day-old bank statement or utility bill with the same name and address)

PennDOT strongly advises its customers to begin gathering the required documents as soon as possible, especially if they will need to obtain replacement documents. Some states may take up to six months to process duplicate birth certificates, so it is advisable to begin that process right away.

PennDOT has verified the legal presence (proof that the customer is either a U.S. citizen or that their presence in the U.S. is authorized under federal law) of all new customers when they obtain their first Pennsylvania driver’s license or ID card, and has kept imaged copies of the required identity documents on file as part of the customer’s record beginning September 2003. Because the documents that PennDOT requires to establish legal presence are the same as those required by the REAL ID regulations, PennDOT may already have documents on file for customers who received their first PA driver’s license or ID card after September 2003, approximately 35 percent of its total customers.

Beginning in March 2018, these customers will be able to visit PennDOT’s Driver and Vehicle Services website (or call PennDOT’s call center or visit an authorized agent for assistance) to request that PennDOT confirm the customer’s required documents are on file. If they are, PennDOT will mark the customer’s record as “verified,” and after REAL ID products are available in the spring of 2019, the customer can opt into the REAL ID program, pay the one-time fee, and their REAL ID product will be sent through the mail, eliminating any need for this customer visit a Driver License Center.

Most of PennDOT’s customers, however, received their initial product before September 2003, so PennDOT does not have their required REAL ID documents on file. Customers in this group who want a REAL ID will need to bring the required documents to a Driver’s License Center so they can be verified in person. Beginning in September 2018, PennDOT’s 71 Driver’s License Centers will be equipped to verify these documents.

Customers will pay a one-time fee of $30, plus a renewal fee (current renewal fee is $30.50 for a four-year non-commercial driver’s license or a photo ID). The expiration date of their initial REAL ID product will include any time remaining on their existing non-REAL ID product, plus an additional four years, unless the customer is over 65 and has a two-year license. This expiration date structure means that the customer won’t “lose” time that they’ve already paid for. After the initial REAL ID product expires, the customer will pay no additional fee, beyond regular renewal fees, to renew a REAL ID product.