Secretary of State encouraging Illinoisans to get the REAL ID

Posted on May 9, 2024
After the May 7, 2025 deadline, domestic travelers 18 and older on commercial flights must have a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or state ID card. (WJBC file photo)

By WJBC Staff

CHICAGO – With the federal deadline less than one year away, Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias is encouraging Illinoisans to “Get Real” and obtain a REAL ID.

Giannoulias said his office is kicking off a campaign to get people signed up who need one.

“Only about 23.5%, or just over 3 million Illinois residents, have REAL ID cards,” said Giannoulias. “We must do better and that is why we are ringing the alarm bell and kicking off this campaign. Our primary goal is getting the word out, so that a year from now we are not experiencing crazy lines at our DMV facilities and long lines at our airports.”

After the May 7, 2025 deadline, domestic travelers 18 and older on commercial flights must have a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or state ID card. Travelers will still be able to board domestic flights with a U.S. passport, which is already REAL ID compliant. A REAL ID will also be required to enter some federal facilities such as courthouses and military bases.

The deadline for obtaining the REAL ID has been pushed back multiple times, most recently in 2022 when the Department of Homeland Security cited the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the state’s ability to issue licenses.

WJBC News can be reached at [email protected]

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