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I hate to tell you this but there is no CLEAR lane, nor TSA PreCheck, at the BMV. That means, for many of us, a long wait to get anything done. You know what is worse than a long wait at the BMV? Yep – TWO long waits at the BMV because you forgot something to get your task done on the first trip.
First off, if you have no idea what “Real ID” is you can read up on the DHS.gov website. The cliff notes are that if your drivers license is not up to date after 1OCT20 (scheduled) you are going to have to bring 2 more bits to fly like:
- American Samoa Certificate of Identity
- Birth certificate
- Social security card
- Voter registration card
- Vehicle registration
- Marriage certificate
- W-2 form
- Credit card
I guess most could drag around their SSC and clearly just about anyone reading this has a travel card of some kind but the simpler way when you go to renew your drivers license is to get it REAL ID approved (if your state plays along that is).
I was dumb enough not to check ahead and did not bring the 1-4 check list documents with me that resulted in a trip home and another trip to the BMV (oh joy oh joy). I wish to spare you this pain with this simple PSA post. Check with your state and make sure you have what you need.
Now sure there is a LONG list of approved ID’s many of us likely have, like our Global Entry cards, that will work just fine if our state’s ID does not have the all important star on it but why not, when you go to renew, get this done to have one more source (since you are renewing anyway that is). – René
Advertiser Disclosure: Eye of the Flyer, a division of Chatterbox Entertainment, Inc., is part of an affiliate sales network and and may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened. This relationship may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities. Some links on this page are affiliate or referral links. We may receive a commission or referral bonus for purchases or successful applications made during shopping sessions or signups initiated from clicking those links.
In Minnesota the Enhanced Driver’s License has US flag on the right side, instead of a star at the top, but the same idea. We also had to show proof of residency, like current utility bills. It took some looking to find a bill with my name on it, as most are billed under my husband’s name. I agree that getting a Real ID drivers license makes sense, although we generally carry our passport, even for domestic flights.