Real ID deadline once again pushed back – The Department of Homeland Security has reportedly pushed back the Real ID deadline to 2025.
Real ID Deadline Once Again Pushed Back
The deadline for Real ID has been yet again pushed back. The agency on Monday said that the department of homeland security deadline for the enforcement will shift back another 24 months from the stipulated date of May 2023 to May 2025. Federal agencies such as the TSA after that date will no longer be accepting driver’s licenses and any other forms of identification that do not get to meet up with federal standards.
In 2005, the Real ID was passed by Congress in the wake of 9/11 as a medium to accurately clarify and verify the identity of an individual. This created minimum security standards for IDs that are state-issued and this is including anti-counterfeiting technology as well as a more stringent application process.
The Enforcement of Real ID Has Been Troubled By Delays from the Start
The enforcement of Real ID has been troubled by delays from the beginning. The enforcement of the program was originally set to start in May 2008, but various states continually asked for extensions during the 14 years that followed.
“This extension will give states needed time to ensure their residents can obtain a REAL ID-compliant license or identification card. DHS will also use this time to implement innovations to make the process more efficient and accessible. We will continue to ensure that the American public can travel safely,” the secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro N. Mayorkas, said in a press release on Monday.
The Reason for the New Deadline
The new deadline was granted in order for driver’s license agencies to get through the backlog of applicants that was created by the covid-19 pandemic. Several agencies shifted to an appointment-only type of setting temporarily during the pandemic, which then meant that they only get to process a couple of people per day.
While some states on the other hand extended the expiration dates of licenses automatically so that citizens did not have to pay visits to offices in person, many states however require that their residents do appear in person in order to get a Real ID.
