Real ID deadline is delayed again. What does it mean for Californians, the DMV and travel?

The federal deadline to obtain a Real ID in order to fly domestically in the U.S. has once again been extended, this time by two additional years to May 2025, the Department of Homeland Security said Monday.

The delayed enforcement will give some reprieve to the California Department of Motor Vehicles, which has braced repeatedly in recent years for a large influx of Real ID applications in advance of the deadline.

The Real ID Act was originally set to take effect in 2008 but has been delayed numerous times. The latest postponement is again in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, federal officials said in a statement.

“Real ID progress over the past two years has been significantly hindered by state driver’s licensing agencies having to work through the backlogs created by the pandemic,” Department of Homeland Security officials wrote in a news release.

Prior to Monday’s announcement, which set the new date as May 7, 2025, the deadline had been set for May 3, 2023, which in turn had been an extension from the previous deadline of Oct. 1, 2021.

After the deadline, air travelers will need either a Real ID or a valid U.S. passport to fly domestically.

The DMV, in a Monday news release acknowledging the changing deadline, said more than 14.7 million Californians have acquired a Real ID. More than 2.6 million did so in the past year, including close to 200,000 this November, DMV officials said.

The California DMV’s website, which has been overhauled a few times in recent years to make more services available online, continues to urge Californians to apply for a Real ID sooner rather than later.

“Wait times will increase closer to the deadline, so get your Real ID now,” the notice reads.

To get a Real ID, Californians can complete their applications online but must bring completed documents and an application confirmation code to a DMV office. Additional details are available at dmv.ca.gov.