The stricter identity verification requirements for US residents are expected to gain momentum next week after a 20-year delay. And for many, the law would require a visit to the automotive sector, the most notorious, old-fashioned location of terrorism in the country.
These facilities may vary slightly in both names and acronyms. For example, the Texan has a Public Safety Agency or DPS. Floridians blow highway safety and the department of cars or HSMVs. (Add DDS, BMV, MVD to your mix. This is a true alphabet soup.)
Despite their different names, each of these state-owned establishments serves the same purpose. It involves licenseing a driver and issuing an identification card to residents living in the state. They share the same waiting times and inspire the same burden and disgust.
But for individuals in some states, things are about to get worse.
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Waiting in line at San Francisco’s Automobile Division on May 11, 2020 (via David Paul Morris/Bloomberg)
On May 7th, all US residents must display their “actual ID compliant” format of ID to comply with long-standing federal laws passed by Congress in 2005 and to board all flights, including international and domestic travel.
An actual ID is a driver’s license or state-issued identification card issued in a state that meets certain federal standards and requires you to provide additional documents, such as several documents certifying your current state’s residency, utility contracts and leases, certified birth certificates, etc.
Currently, the actual ID is issued by all state DMVs (or BMV or HSMVs) in anticipation of the enforcement date of the fast approach. Actual ID-compliant ID cards and licenses have stars or other symbols marked in the right corner, and have been issued for years in some states, including Texas and Florida.
However, DMVs operate at states rather than federal levels, so until recently, adherence to stricter verification standards was optional. This has prompted a patchwork of compliance across the US and a recent enthusiastic panic from residents of states where DMVs do not meet actual ID standards.
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Actual ID enforcement begins on May 7, 2025 (Fox News)
On the last day before the new law comes into effect, some US residents are learning for the first time in their fear that their IDs have not sniffed.
Some states have urged a surge in last-minute appointments as drivers are desperately considering obtaining these new IDs. For others, plans are almost impossible.
For example, New Jersey is not currently appointed to any of the state’s DMV facilities. This could be a major problem for travelers in Garden State, the country’s lowest at 17% last month, according to data compiled by CBS News.
Other nearby states report similar compliance rates, with Pennsylvania at 26% compliance and 43% in New York, less than half of all residents living in the state.
For individuals in these states, actual ID compliance standards can become a travel nightmare, especially ahead of the summer holiday season when airports are hampering a rapid increase in traffic.
As of January 2024, DHS estimates that only 56% of state-issued driver licenses and identification cards were compliant with the new real ID requirements. It is unclear how much that percentage changed last year.
“DHS expects that from May 7, 2025, a considerable number of individuals attempting to use DL/ID for official actual ID purposes may not be compliant with DL/ID,” he said in a memo last September.
Dozens of waits in San Francisco’s automotive division on July 23, 2019
In January, DHS issued a somewhat optimistic forecast in the federal register, predicting that by May 7, up to 66% of US ID owners would have a new legally required ID.
However, on the last day before the law is enforced, it is difficult to see exactly where things are. The horror story lasts for some drivers who are struggling to obtain a new ID, and in other regions, state legislators hope to be granted the delay.
In Kentucky, a group of state lawmakers led by R-Lebanon Senate Transport Committee Chairman Jimmy Higdon has urged DHS Chief Secretary Christa Noem to delay actual ID enforcement dates, citing “growth of concern” that “weakened access to driver licensing services “due to limited appointments” due to limited availability of reservations and long lines.
“This simple request is to protect Kentucky from bureaucratic burdens,” Higdon said in the letter. “Rural residents, seniors and families still have hurdles before them, but in many cases they may not recognize their options. While only about 40% of our residents have real IDs, I want to help them understand that Kentucky may not need a real ID.
The TSA warns that individuals who do not have the correct ID by that date may travel significantly longer waits and other confusion. This could affect travel plans for millions of Americans ahead of what is expected to be a busy summer travel season.
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Others may ban access to certain federal buildings.
The problem also persists in other states. CBS News, a survey in April, found that at least 17 states have compliance rates of less than 50%, while 30 states have compliance rates of less than 70%.
Breanne Deppisch is a national political reporter for Fox News Digital, covering the Trump administration, focusing on the Department of Justice, the FBI and other national news.
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