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The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has
granted extensions to 49 of 50 states, the District
of Columbia and all five U.S. territories, putting
more than 99 percent of U.S. drivers' licenses and
ID cards on the path to secure identification.
Congress mandated in the REAL ID Act of 2005 that
state-issued identification must be REAL ID
compliant to be acceptable for official purposes.
Maine is the only jurisdiction that has not yet met
the security requirements needed to obtain an
extension. Implementation of the bar on accepting
Maine licenses will require substantial planning and
effort, which will begin immediately in the absence
of an agreement. Maine will have until close of
business tomorrow to agree to certain security
changes in order for Maine IDs to be acceptable for
purposes of boarding commercial aircraft and
accessing certain federal facilities after May 11,
2008.
DHS recognized earlier this year that states could
not meet the full requirements of the REAL ID Act by
May 11, as set by Congress. The department made
extensions available for states that needed
additional time to come into compliance, or to
complete ongoing security measures. Initial
extension requests were due by March 31. These
extensions are valid until Dec. 31, 2009, when
states must upgrade the security of their systems,
to include a check for lawful status of all
applicants, for their licenses and ID cards to be
acceptable for official purposes.
The need for secure documentation was a core 9/11
Commission finding. REAL ID addresses their finding
by setting specific requirements that states must
adopt for compliance in four key areas: (1)
information and security features that must be
incorporated into each card; (2) proof of the
identity and U.S. citizenship or legal status of an
applicant; (3) verification of the source documents
provided by an applicant; and (4) security standards
for the offices that issue licenses and ID cards.
REAL ID enrollment will be completed for all
individuals 50 years of age and under by Dec. 1,
2014. For all others, enrollment may be extended
three additional years to Dec. 1, 2017. At that
time, all state-issued drivers' licenses and
identification cards intended for official purposes
must be REAL ID-compliant. |
