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Getting A REAL ID Now? Officials Say Be Patient

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Minnesotans began to apply for REAL IDs on Oct. 1.

After Oct. 1, 2020, REAL ID will allow you to board a domestic flight without a passport. Since the IDs became available, thousands of applications have rolled in.

But so far, only a few hundred have been mailed to customers.

"I will have to look into the advantages of it and weigh my options from there." Peter Locast of Minneapolis said.

Waiting in line at the DMV gives Minnesotans a chance to contemplate if they need a REAL ID right now. They cost the same as a standard driver's license, about $25.

"I have no idea. I know nothing about it. Unless I need it for flights, maybe," Locast said.

After Oct. 1, 2020, a passport will be needed to board domestic flights, unless you have a REAL ID. But for those applying now, it could take some time before it's in your hands.

"You have to remember that there are federal requirements that come into play with both REAL IDs and Enhanced Driver's Licenses," Bruce Gordon with the Department of Public Safety said.

As of last week, more than 13,000 people had applied for a REAL ID. But only about 630 had been approved, processed and mailed out.

Bruce Gordon, a spokesman for the Department of Public Safety, says federal regulations have to be applied in the review and approval process. Which is why he's asking Minnesotans to be patient.

"It's being reviewed, the application is in the queue and you will receive it soon enough. You have that temporary license or the temporary receipt, that's good for 120 days. It won't take that long to get your REAL ID, but you have it just in case," Gordon said.

Click here for more information on REAL ID.

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