Indiana residents now have some more time to obtain upgraded driver’s licenses or ID cards so they can fly commercially and enter certain federal facilities once new rules take effect.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has pushed back the deadline to obtain a driver’s license or state identification card that is compliant with the federal Real ID program a full year to Oct. 1, 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The public health crisis forced BMVs across the country, including those in Indiana, to close and prevented people from applying for the new ID cards, said acting U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf.
All Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicle branches were closed earlier this year due the spread of COVID-19, but the state has started gradually reopening branches by appointment only, with a total of 128 branches — including the Columbus branch — open by May 11, according to the state’s BMV’s website.
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“The federal, state and local response to the spread of the coronavirus here in the United States necessitates a delay in this deadline,” Wolf said in a statement earlier this year. “Our state and local partners are working tirelessly with the (Trump) administration to flatten the curve and, therefore, we want to remove any impediments to response and recovery efforts.”
The federal Real ID program is an effort by U.S. Department of Homeland Security to standardize the way states issue driver’s identification and federal IDs to be used at certain federal facilities and establish minimum security standards, according to U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Once the rules take effect next year, a standard driver’s license will no longer be sufficient to pass through Transportation Security Administration airport security checkpoints for domestic flights or enter federal courthouses, military bases and other secure facilities like nuclear power plants, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The program is part of the Real ID Act, which is a federal law passed in 2005 after the federal 9/11 Commission found that some of the terrorists involved in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks had fake identification, The Associated Press reported. Older IDs still will let people drive, buy liquor or other age-regulated products and gamble at casinos.
As of March 5, around 37% of Bartholomew County residents with state-issued IDs had yet to upgrade to a Real ID-compliant form of identification and would be at risk of being left stranded at airports the first day the new rules take effect unless they had a passport or military IDs, which will still be accepted alternative forms of identification for domestic air travel.
The Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles had issued 41,742 Real IDs to Bartholomew County residents as of March 5, or roughly 63% of all currently issued credentials in the county, according to spokeswoman Christine Meyer. Over 2.8 million Real IDs have been issued statewide, or around 60% of all valid state IDs in the state.
Real IDs don’t look much different from standard state-issued IDs and contain the same information, but have a golden star in the top right corner star, according to the Indiana BMV. Indiana has been issuing Real IDs since 2010.
“The Indiana BMV encourages all Hoosiers to upgrade to a Real ID,” Meyer said.
The Indiana BMV, like similar agencies in other states, are working to raise awareness about deadline and has held events to raise awareness of the new requirements.
Last year, the Indiana BMV, along with the Indianapolis Airport Authority, held an event at the Indianapolis International Airport to help travelers upgrade their driver’s license or state identification card to be Real ID compliant.
Currently, there is information about Real IDs on display at the Indianapolis International Airport, said Stephanie MacFarland, spokeswoman for the Indianapolis Airport Authority.
“TSA does have information about it in the security checkpoint area,” MacFarland said.
Voters will not need to upgrade to a Real ID to participate in the November election, said Bartholomew County Clerk Jay Phelps.
“From an election standpoint, that will not matter,” Phelps said. “(Voters) do not need to upgrade to a Real ID to vote, as long as they have a driver’s license, passport, military ID or state-issued college ID.”
How to get a Real ID
Bartholomew County residents who want to obtain a Real ID-compliant Indiana driver’s license, permit or identification card must schedule an in-person appointment at the local branch of the Indiana BMV, located at 4445 Ray Boll Blvd., according to the Indiana BMV’s website.
Applicants must supply documentation to prove their identity, change of name (if applicable), lawful immigration status, Social Security number and Indiana residency, according to the Indiana BMV’s website.
Some of the most common documents applicants use to prove their identity include a U.S. birth certificate, unexpired U.S. passport, foreign passport with a visa and I-94 form, among others, according to the Indiana BMV.
Additionally, applicants must demonstrate they are in the United States legally, which can be done with, among other forms of documentation, a U.S. passport or U.S. passport card, foreign passport with a U.S. visa and I-94 form or other U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services documents.
Proof of a Social Security number and two documents with the applicant’s name and Indiana residential address are also required to prove Indiana residency, which can include a lease, certain utility bills and even a valid Indiana handgun permit, according to the Indiana BMV’s website.
Indiana does not require Hoosiers to convert to a Real ID unless they are receiving an Indiana license or ID for the first time, Meyer said.
Indiana does not charge extra for a Real ID. Currently, a state-issued identification card costs $9, and a standard-issue driver’s license is $17.50.
It takes around 14 days to process a Real ID application, Meyer said.
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Visit www.in.gov/bmv/4363.htm for more information about scheduling an appointment at an Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles branch.
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For a complete list of approved documents to obtain a Real ID, visit www.in.gov/bmv/files/BMV_Documentation_List.pdf.
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The federal Real ID program is an effort by U.S. Department of Homeland Security to standardize the way states issue driver’s identification and federal IDs to be used at certain federal facilities and establish minimum security standards, according to U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The program is part of the Real ID Act, which is a federal law passed in 2005 after the federal 9/11 Commission found that some of the terrorists involved in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks had fake identification, The Associated Press reported.
Visit www.dhs.gov/real-id# for more information about the federal program.
Visit www.in.gov/bmv/2577.htm for more information about Real IDs in Indiana.
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