SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — If you’re planning to fly around the country next year, you have about a year to get your Real ID.
The deadline is May 7, 2025.
A Real ID driver’s license or ID card will let you fly domestically without a passport, and enter secure federal facilities such as military bases and courthouses.
WATCH | Real facts about REAL ID
A Department of Transportation representative in Pennsylvania explains REAL ID. Check with your state driver’s license agency for further information.
You can check your status by looking at your license or ID card.
Those with Real ID show a bear with a gold star in the upper right corner.
Applicants will only need to provide their social security number and two proofs of California residency.
The DMV says you may not need a REAL ID to fly or enter secure federal buildings if you currently have a valid passport, military ID, Global Entry Card or other federally approved document. Also, “while a passport may allow you to fly within the U.S., a REAL ID does not replace a passport for international travel,” the DMV said.
In 2023, the Department of Homeland Security delayed the deadline for air travelers to have a REAL ID another two years, to May 2025.
That was the third time the deadline was extended.
The REAL ID deadline was most first delayed a year from Oct. 1, 2020, to Oct. 1, 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was then extended another 19 months from Oct. 1, 2021, to May 3, 2023.
You can learn more about getting a REAL ID in California via the Department of Motor Vehicles or through the Department of Homeland Security.
ABC News’ Mark Osborne contributed to this report
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