MINNESOTA — The countdown is on for Minnesota residents who haven’t gotten their REAL ID cards. After moving the deadline for getting the gold star required to board domestic flights and certain federal offices, Homeland Security officials set May 7, 2025, as the final date.
Individual states may have specific requirements to get a REAL ID card. At a minimum, applicants must provide documentation showing their full legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, two proofs of address of the principal residence, and lawful status.
COVID-19 backlogs in state agencies charged with issuing driver’s licenses and identification cards prompted the last REAL ID extension in late 2022. The original 2020 deadline to get REAL IDs had been extended multiple times because of the pandemic.
After May 7, 2025, federal agencies, including the Transportation Security Administration, will no longer accept identification that does not meet the new standards.
Congress passed the REAL ID Act of 2005 in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. In addition to the stars, REAL ID cards are built with technology that makes them more difficult to forge, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Minnesota residents who don’t plan to fly domestically or visit a federal office don’t need to do anything.
How Do I Know If I Have A REAL ID?
A REAL ID is distinguishable from a regular Minnesota driver’s license. That’s a shorthand way of saying a person’s citizenship and legal residence status have been verified.
Minnesota REAL ID driver's licenses and identification cards display a star.
How Do I Get A REAL ID?
REAL ID cards are issued at driver’s licensing stations in Minnesota. In general, those seeking them need to provide documentation showing their legal name, date of birth, Social Security number or proof of lawful status to be in the United States, and two proofs of the address of their principal residence.
Minnesotans can pre-apply for a REAL ID (or another type of license) online. Doing so will make the process quicker when you make the required in-person visit to one of the state’s Department of Vehicle Services offices.
A REAL ID isn't required to get a driver's license. Also, the TSA won’t require children under 18 to provide identification when they’re traveling with an adult companion within the United States, but the companion must have acceptable identification.
The REAL ID is not a substitute for a passport required for international travel, and it also does not affect the ability to vote or register to vote, applications for federal benefits, enter federal facilities that don’t require identification, obtain medical care, or participate in police proceedings or investigations.
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