KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The deadline for Tennesseans to switch their current licenses over to the new REAL ID standard is fast approaching, and this time it seems the deadline will stick.
REAL ID enforcement was postponed multiple times due to the COVID-19 pandemic because federal law requires applications to be made in person. It was originally supposed to begin on Oct. 2020, and then COVID happened and it was pushed back Oct. 2021, and then the Delta variant came along and postponed the process again until a new deadline was set: May 3, 2023.
Updating your license to the new federal REAL ID standard is not required to continue driving or for general ID purposes, but it will be required for people who want to board a commercial flight as well as those who need to access certain federal facilities.
Starting May 3, non-REAL ID licenses won't be accepted on their own as a form of identity to pass through federal security checkpoints such as airport security. You will need to have a second form of government-issued identification in that case, such as a government-issued passport.
How do I apply for REAL ID?
You can only get a REAL ID in person at one of Tennessee's driver services centers, just like your normal driver's license. However, you need to bring the four forms of original documentation below with you (photocopies aren't accepted) -- even if you already have a Tennessee driver's license. It costs the same as other Tennessee licenses and IDs.
- Proof of U.S. citizenship or legal presence (such as your birth certificate or a valid, unexpired U.S. passport)
- Proof of your full Social Security Number (such as your Social Security Card or a W2)
- Two forms of proof of Tennessee residency (such as utility bills in your name addressed to you dated in the past four months)
Also, if you've changed your name since your last license was issued, you likely will be required to prove it with a document such as a marriage certificate or court order.
Tennessee has a full list of options that will work for the documents above at this link.
Why is REAL ID becoming the standard?
This has been a long, long time in the making. After the September 11 attacks in 2001, lawmakers voted in 2005 to establish the REAL ID Act, which set minimum security standards for licenses across the U.S. for the purpose of accessing federally controlled facilities, such as airport security checkpoints.
In 2013, the Department of Homeland Security announced its plan to finally implement the phased enforcement of REAL ID standards in the act, and over the past decade states worked to update their licensing standards to comply with the federal law.
Tennessee began issuing the new REAL ID-compliant licenses in July 2019. As of 2021, more than a million Tennesseans had a REAL ID license.