Do you have REAL ID? The answer for about 1.2 million people in Connecticut is no, but come October 2020, you’ll want to have it or else you can’t fly domestically or enter federal buildings.
“We were very proactive in understanding how long this was going to take,” Sibongile Magubane, Connecticut’s DMV commissioner said.
Magubane says since Connecticut started issuing REAL ID verified licenses in 2011, about 47 percent of Connecticut residents have gotten them.
So how do you know if you have REAL ID? Look for the gold star on your license.
“Now we’re going to really put the pedal to the metal to get the information out a year before it’s actually due,” Magubane said.
The DMV issues around 160,000 licenses a year. There are more than seven times that many licenses that need to become verified by October 2020.
“As we prepare we will see what staffing we need, we also have 12 partner locations that include AAA,” Magubane said.
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“We’re hearing from the TSA is if you do not have a compliant ID will not be able to fly,” Kevin Dillon, Director of the Connecticut Airport Authority said.
Dillon says passengers would have to bring other documents like a passport or birth certificate in order to fly.
A document hassle that new REAL ID carriers like Jonathan Mack are glad to learn they no longer have to face.
“I feel good that I don’t have to go through that,” Mack said.
For a list of the documents needed to obtain a REAL ID, you can head to the DMV’s website at ct.gov/dmv.
