HARRISBURG, Pa. — For anyone who has not yet ordered a Pennsylvania REAL ID, you have been granted more time before it becomes tougher to fly.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) has pushed back their enforcement date for REAL ID-compliant driver’s licenses and photo IDs to May 3, 2023.
REAL ID is a federal law that affects how states issue driver’s licenses and ID cards if they are going to be acceptable for federal purposes, such as boarding a commercial domestic flight, or entering a military base or federal building that requires federally acceptable ID upon entry.
Anybody who owns a federally-acceptable form of identification, such as a passport, can do these things without a REAL ID. However, Real IDs are not valid for international sea cruise travel, international air travel or travel across the borders with Canada and Mexico.
There is no requirement that any resident obtain a REAL ID. PennDOT continues to offer standard-issue driver’s licenses and photo IDs. Anyone with the standard-issue can still:
- Drive
- Vote
- Access hospitals
- Visit the post office
- Access federal courts
- Apply for or receive federal benefits, such as social security or veterans’ benefits.
This is the second time the deadline has been pushed back. Initially, the deadline was going to be Oct. 1, 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic pushed the deadline back by one year to Oct. 1, 2021.
Anyone who would like to order their Pennsylvania REAL ID can click HERE for information on how to proceed. For any other state, click HERE.
