Remember Real ID? The deadline for obtaining Real ID has been pushed back again with more changes.
Beginning May 7, 2025, Pennsylvanians will need a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license/photo ID card, or another form of federally-acceptable identification to board a domestic commercial flight or enter a federal building or military installation that requires ID.
Pennsylvanians can get a Real ID through the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
Penndot recently announced some changes to streamline the process. Along with the Social Security card itself, Penndot is now accepting documents that show an applicant’s full Social Security number, including a W-2 form; SSA-1099 form; non-SSA-1099 form; or a pay stub with the applicant’s name and full Social Security Number on it.
Diego Sandino, press officer, driver and vehicle services at Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, said on The Spark there are still other documents needed to obtain Real ID.
”Proof of identity, proof of Social Security. Number two — proofs of current physical Pennsylvania address. And with that, the name needs to be the same on all these documents. And so with individuals who change their name due to marriage or changed their name for any reason, we at PennDOT need to be able to see that name change in the process, like within documents. And so this includes certified marriage certificates as well as a county court that issued any name change or a court order…If you have a passport and your name matches on all your other documents with that passport, we don’t need these extra documents.”
The cost of a Real ID is $30, on top of the driver’s license fee. That’s a one-time fee.