Last-minute lineup at Woodstock DMV for REAL IDs

Brad Hart and his wife had a plan for Saturday: Pick her up from O’Hare airport at 8:30 a.m. then swing into the Des Plaines Department of Motor Vehicles to get their REAL IDs.

The Des Plaines office had 300 people in line, Hart said, so after waiting almost 45 minutes, they drove to Woodstock, hoping for a shorter line.

They were just two of the 500 people expected at the Woodstock Secretary of State’s office on Saturday, seeking the document before the federal deadline, or at least before their next flight.

Beginning Wednesday, airline passengers will need either a REAL ID, a passport or other federally-recognized identification to board domestic flights. Across the region, a dozen driver‘s services offices have remained open on Saturdays to allow residents to get those IDs in advance of their travel plans but without an appointment.

Rebecca LeClaire of Cherry Valley is one of those future flyers, with a trip set for May 15. She was in line at 8 a.m. when it was still wrapped around the building but had her temporary paper REAL ID in hand just after 10 a.m.

Applicants Saturday were issued temporary REAL IDs. Permanent copies will be sent by mail.

“The website was helpful” to determine the paperwork she needed, LeClaire said. “Read it and you will be OK.”

She drove 45 minutes to Woodstock because it was the closest DMV with Saturday hours where she would not need an appointment.

While waiting in line, the Harts were sure they had all of the correct documents: certified birth certificates, Social Security cards, Illinois driver‘s licenses and bills showing their current address.

But after standing in line about a half-hour, the couple headed back to the car to drive home to Chicago. They were missing their marriage license, and she was told she also needed a divorce decree.

At the Woodstock location, staffers walked through the line outside, checking documents and waiving off drivers looking to buy their registration tags or do anything other than get the REAL IDs.

Marriage licenses are one of the most common missing documents, said DMV staffer Michael, who did not provide his last name.

According to a Illinois Secretary of State’s guide handed out to those in line, “multiple name change documents will be required if your name has changed multiple times.”

For women who have been married, divorced and remarried, and have changed their names each time, they will need both marriage licenses, according to the REAL ID Frequently Asked Questions section of the secretary of state website. It did not indicate divorce decrees would be needed, however.

Records, such as birth certificates and marriage licenses, need to be official copies and cannot be photocopies. Proof of address, such as a bank statement, can be printed off the internet, according to DMV staff.

Skye Ziemke of Johnsburg walked out of the DMV without her paper REAL ID because of the missing marriage license. The document was at home, so her plan was to go get it then drive back to Woodstock and get in line again.

“I swear it did not say anything about if the name is different, maybe it is in the fine print,” Zeimke said.

She looked at the handout she got in the line, saw the fine print regarding name changes, and sighed.

Adam Connerty and his son, 17-year-old Adam “A.J.“ Connerty Jr., both of Johnsburg, waited in line to get A.J.’s REAL ID for an upcoming summer job. They were not looking for the driver‘s license version, but the Illinois identification card. The Connerty’s said they will need to go back in a few weeks, with an appointment, to get A.J’s driver‘s license, which does not need to be a REAL ID.

Several people questioned while waiting in line said they were getting the IDs in advance of upcoming flights, from as soon as May 15 to early June.

“We have a flight on May 19″ that has been planned for a while, said Aleah McCarthy of Lakemoor. “We procrastinated, but hopefully we are good” and will get the ID in the mail in time.

Note: This reporter got in line for her REAL ID at 6:30 a.m. April 19 at the Elgin DMV, had leave to print out a more-recent credit card statement, then got in line again. Including time spent taking a written driver‘s test, she had the temporary paper copy in hand just after noon. The REAL ID was in the mailbox by May 2.