Federal Real Id ID Enforcement Is Only One Year Away

When my driver's license came up for renewal a couple of years ago, I looked over my options, which included getting a Standard, Enhanced, or Real Id. Each has its own level of what you can use it for.

The Standard license will allow you to board an airplane for a domestic flight in the United States, but after May 3rd, 2023, that will no longer be an option with the Standard license.

The Real Id allows you to fly anywhere in the United States and can be used for federal Read ID purposes, but it's not valid for flights outside of the United States. I chose this option, since I don't plan on crossing any borders anytime soon, or ever.

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The Enhanced Id is the Cadillac of New York State licenses, allowing you all that the other two options offer, in addition to crossing the border to Mexico, Canada, and some Caribbean countries.

In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the Department of Transportation is urging residents who want the Real Id driver’s licenses and photo Id cards, but have not yet done so, to be thinking about acquiring the documents needed sooner than later to make sure there is enough time to get the Real Id before the federal enforcement date of May 3rd, 2023.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, to obtain a Real Id license, the cost is a one-time fee of $30, plus the applicable renewal fee of $30.50 for a four-year non-commercial driver’s license, and $31.50 for a photo ID.

For more information on the different types of driver's licenses for residents of New York State or Pennsylvania, visit NY DMV or PennDOT.

New York State DMV, Pennsylvania DOT