Californians line up to get REAL IDs before deadline

Published May 7, 2025 9:57am ET



(The Center Square) – Lines have formed at California Department of Motor Vehicles offices as people try to meet the deadline for their REAL IDs.

Starting Wednesday, Americans will need the ID to go on domestic flights or enter secure federal facilities or certain military bases. The deadline for the REAL IDs, which Congress adopted after 9/11, has been pushed back several times over 20 years. The federal REAL ID Act became law in 2005.

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