Ames, Iowa — Tuesday marked the one-year countdown to the federal regulation that requires you to have your driver’s license certified as a “REAL ID” to be able to use it as identification for flying. Iowa DOT Director Mark Lowe says the requirement came out of rules developed at the 9-11 terrorist attacks.
You can tell if your driver’s license is a REAL ID by looking into the right corner and seeing if it has a gold star there.
He says there won’t be any exceptions once the deadline is here.
You will need bring documents to the driver’s license office that prove your identity to get your license approved for REAL ID.
Lowe says with eight-year licenses many people may not be due to come to renew licenses before the deadline next year and should find time to get a REAL ID. If you already have the gold star on your license then you are set.
Lowe says around 36 percent of Iowans with licenses already have gotten the REAL ID upgrade. He isn’t sure where we stand in comparison to other states for getting people switched to the REAL ID.
You will also need a real ID to get into federal buildings after the October 2020 deadline.
You can see the list of documents you need to bring with you for a Real ID on the DOT’s website.
Photos courtesy RadioIowa. Top: Iowa DOT Director Mark Lowe, Bottom: Example of Real ID Driver’s License
