Don’t panic about REAL ID deadline, Illinois Secretary of State says

Amid a surge in customers desperate to obtain REAL IDs before federal enforcement at airports begins Wednesday, Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias sought Monday to clarify public confusion.

The U.S. Transportation Security Administration will begin requiring travelers to show REAL IDs when flying domestically Wednesday, although identification like passports also is acceptable.

But most people without compliant ID should still be able to board flights, albeit with delays, TSA officials say.

Meanwhile, thousands are thronging to DMVs mistakenly thinking the state will stop processing them Wednesday.

“That is not the case,” Giannoulias said at a virtual briefing Monday. “Even after May 7, you will still be able to get a REAL ID.”

“So, to those of you who are waiting in lines for a very long time, please, please, please know that we will be issuing REAL IDs for the foreseeable future, probably forever.”

REAL ID driver’s licenses and ID cards are marked with a star in the upper right corner.

Giannoulias said he’s witnessed “chaos, fear and confusion” in lines and clarified that “you can still use your regular driver’s license to drive a vehicle. And your state ID can still be used as a valid form of identification,” after Wednesday.

He also noted that children do not need REAL ID to board planes.

To manage expectations, consumers won’t walk out of a DMV with REAL ID credentials after applying, Giannoulias noted. Processing the application typically takes two to three weeks.

“Most people, anecdotally and based on data, get it within seven days,” he said.

At the state’s REAL ID supercenter in Chicago, “the line is like nothing we have ever seen in the state of Illinois,” Giannoulias said.

[ Read more: Looming REAL ID deadline brings lines to Woodstock driver’s license office ]

He urged people to check the secretary of state’s website at realid.ilsos.gov to see if they need a REAL ID, which will help reduce crowds for residents seeking regular driver’s services like renewals.

Asked if his office could have done more to avoid problems, Giannoulias said the administration has been warning consumers for months.

“Our staff has worked so hard,” he said. “Illinois taxpayers are being forced to pay overtime. People have had over a decade to do this.”

“Outside of lighting myself on fire, we’ve literally had over a dozen press conferences on REAL ID. We’ve literally created a website on REAL ID, which by the way, is a federal mandate.”

REAL ID was passed into law in 2005 in a response to the 9/11 attacks.

TSA explains REAL ID requirements

As of Wednesday, passengers without a REAL ID “can expect delays, additional screening, and the possibility of not being permitted into the sterile area beyond security clearance,” TSA Illinois Federal Security Director Jim Spriggs said at an April 30 news conference.

Besides passports, other examples of acceptable IDs include: DHS Trusted Traveler cards like Global Entry or NEXUS; permanent resident cards; or U.S. Department of Defense ID.

If you don’t have a compliant ID, “you need to bring proof of your identity,” Spriggs said.

Do you have questions about REAL ID? Send an email to mpyke@dailyherald.com.

https://www.dailyherald.com/20250505/transportation/giannoulias-urges-illinoisans-not-to-panic-about-real-id-deadline/