SAN FRANCISCO -- If you're planning to fly around the country next year, you have about a year to get your Real ID. The deadline is May 7, 2025. A Real ID driver's license or ID card will let you fly domestically without a passport, and enter secure federal facilities such as military bases and courthouses.
WATCH | Real facts about REAL ID You can check your status by looking at your license or ID card. Those with Real ID show a bear with a gold star in the upper right corner. Applicants will only need to provide their social security number and two proofs of California residency.
The DMV says you may not need a REAL ID to fly or enter secure federal buildings if you currently have a valid passport, military ID, Global Entry Card or other federally approved document . Also, "while a passport may allow you to fly within the U.S.
, a REAL ID does not replace a passport for international travel," the DMV said. In 2023, the Department of Homeland Security delayed the deadline for air travelers to have a REAL ID another two years, to May 2025. That was the third time the deadline was extended.
The REAL ID deadline was most first delayed a year from Oct. 1, 2020, to Oct. 1, 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It was then extended another 19 months from Oct. 1, 2021, to May 3, 2023. You can learn more about getting a REAL ID in California via the Department of Motor Vehicles or through the Department of Homeland Security .
ABC News' Mark Osborne contributed to this report.
