

An original or certified copy of a birth certificate with a raised seal or valid U.S.

Okay, so I have to opt-in to receive a REAL ID from Pa? That means you can keep on renewing your regular license - no problem.

But that law made the Real ID drivers’ license optional. That means everything is fine now, and Pa.’s licenses are REAL ID’s?Īfter a 2017 state law passed, Pennsylvania now has a plan to issue licenses that comply with the federal mandate. Now deadlines are bearing down, and Pennsylvania has a plan to issue REAL ID compliant licences. The states hoped that by banding together they could fight the federal mandate. She wrote that in 2012, when many states - including Pennsylvania - passed laws that barred the state from participating in the program. Opponents - including Allie Bohm, writing as an advocacy and policy strategist for the American Civil Liberties Union - have called it “a national database of drivers’ information” that turns “drivers’ licenses into national identification cards.” Past that deadline, the federal government says non-compliant state licenses won’t be accepted for a number of functions - such as boarding a domestic flight or entering secure federal buildings or military bases. The law set a deadline for state licenses to be REAL ID compliant. The Department of Homeland Security says it establishes “minimum security standards for state-issued driver’s licenses.” It’s a controversial program passed into federal law in 2005. Here’s your quick primer to the confusing, evolving story of Real ID in Pennsylvania. You might have heard that there’s likely a lot of paperwork involved to get the new licence. You might have heard that Pennsylvania is coming out with a new license, and it’s going to cost twice as much as the old one. (Undated) - You might have heard that in the near future, your Pennsylvania license won’t cut it when you want to fly or enter a secure federal building. Lawmakers in Washington state are now trying to bring the state in compliance with the law, and if state-issued identification cards and licenses are not changed, residents may have to produce additional forms of ID when boarding domestic flights at U.S. Now, it’s time to find better ways to interact with you and ensure we meet your high standards of what a credible media organization should be.įILE – In this photo taken April 6, 2016, a sign at the federal courthouse in Tacoma, Wash., is shown to inform visitors of the federal government’s REAL ID act, which requires state driver’s licenses and ID cards to have security enhancements and be issued to people who can prove they’re legally in the United States. The days of journalism’s one-way street of simply producing stories for the public have long been over.
