REAL ID Deadline Extended Again For CT, Rest Of Nation

CONNECTICUT — U.S. residents will have an additional 19 months to get their REAL ID after the Department of Homeland Security delayed the requirement for air travelers to have a REAL ID-compliant form of identification by Oct. 1.

The deadline has been postponed until May 3, 2023, for Connecticut and all other states. Officials said the new delay is due to the pandemic, which is making it harder for people to get into state motor vehicle departments and get the new IDs. Fewer than 50 percent of Americans have obtained their REAL ID.

The REAL ID Act was passed after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to establish minimum security standards for state-issued driver's licenses and identification cards. The Department of Homeland Security initially postponed the enforcement date for REAL ID from Oct. 1, 2020, to Oct. 1, 2021, in response to COVID-19.

"Extending the Real ID full enforcement deadline will give states needed time to reopen their driver’s licensing operations and ensure their residents can obtain a Real ID-compliant license or identification card," DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement.

Real ID compliant cards are issued after a more thorough check of an applicant's identification and incorporate new security features that make them harder to counterfeit. Under the Real ID Act, passed by Congress after the 9/11 attacks of 2001, travelers 18 or older wanting to board an airplane by using a driver's license for identification must have one that conforms with the law's stricter requirements.

To receive a REAL ID card, you will need to provide a few qualifying documents. Top of the list is a primary form of identification — either a passport, or original or certified copy of your birth certificate. You will also need a secondary form of identification, documentation of your Social Security number, and two proofs of residency in Connecticut. Specifically what types of documents qualify in each of these categories is spelled out on the DMV website here.

After you have gathered together your documents, you will need to take them to a DMV or partner office to begin your REAL ID application. A map of the participating locations can be found online here.

Licenses with REAL ID verification cannot be renewed online, you will need to visit the DMV in person.

The current renewal fee is $72 for a six-year driver's license, $96 for an eight-year renewal, and $24 for a two-year renewal only available to residents 65 years of age and older. Connecticut residents who are active duty in the U.S. military or were honorably discharged in the last 60 days, may renew their driver's licenses for free.

The DHS said it is continuing to work with all U.S. states and the District of Columbia to implement REAL ID Act requirements. More information on REAL ID is available online here.