REAL ID Deadline 2025: What Happens If You’re Not Ready?

Big changes are coming for U.S. travelers! Starting May 7, 2025, all travelers must be REAL ID compliant to:

• Board domestic flights

• Access certain federal facilities such as military bases and federal buildings

What Does REAL ID Compliance Mean?

Let’s break it down:

If you live in California but your parents are in Tennessee and you want to get on a plane to see them, you’ll need either:

• A REAL ID, or

• A standard driver's license plus a valid U.S. passport

Without one of these, you won't be allowed to board a domestic flight after the deadline.

How to Get a REAL ID in California

To obtain a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or state ID in California, you must bring:

✅ Proof of identity (e.g. birth certificate, passport)

✅ Proof of California residency

✅ Your Social Security number

If you’ve learned the hard way (like so many of us), this REAL ID checklist will make your DMV trip much smoother.

Step-by-Step: REAL ID Checklist for California Residents

Step 1: Proof of Identity

Select one of the accepted documents:

• U.S. birth certificate

• Valid U.S. passport or passport card

• Certificate of Naturalization or Citizenship

  
  

  See the image below for more options

  
  

  

  After you select one document from the list above, click submit.

Step 2: Verify your current full name (if the answer is no)

*If your answer is yes to the first question, you can skip the rest of the questions below.

If you select yes to the first question, you will have the option to click submit.

If you select no to the first question, you will need to provide the requested information and then have the ability to click submit.

📝 Example: if you were married, divorced (and then took back your maiden name), you would need to choose (2) as the number of times you changed your name.

Step 3: Proof of Residency

There are many options you can use to show your proof of residency. You'll need to select two from the list:

• Utility bills

• Rental/lease agreements

• Bank statements

• Mortgage documents

Many more options below.

After you select two of the many options above, go ahead and click submit and the next screen appears as shown below.

(Spoiler alert) - You haven’t completed everything yet. Continue reading.

What to do next (you’ve got this - almost done)

Step 4: Your In-Person DMV Visit

• Print your REAL ID checklist (see helpful screenshot above). 

• Fill out the DL/ID Application Online.

  • Complete the application and upload your required documents

  • Save your confirmation code — you will need it when you go to the DMV office.

• Make an appointment to visit a DMV field office. 

  • Bring the original documents you submitted online and your confirmation code. Your confirmation code will work like an appointment. 

    • You can check the wait times at your local DMV— seriously, it might be worth driving 30 extra minutes instead of waiting five hours!

    
    

Pro Tips from Someone Who’s Been There

• If you have changed your name more than once (as described in the married and divorced example), then you would need to submit online and in person when you go to the DMV the following documents. 

  • Birth certificate

  • Marriage certificate

  • Divorce certificate

• Birth certificates, marriage certificates, divorce certificates, etc must be the ORIGINAL CERTIFIED COPIES. Trust me, I learned this the hard way when I tried to go to the post office to get a passport in lieu of the REAL ID with a copy of my marriage certificate and not the original one. 

• I highly recommend using this nifty wait times checker before going to the DMV. Who knows, maybe it is worth driving an extra 30 minutes to a DMV office located farther away, then waiting five hours at the DMV across the street from your house. 

• All documents must be original certified copies — no photocopies.

• If your name has changed multiple times (married/divorced/other), you must bring documentation for every change.

• I once brought a copy of my marriage certificate to the post office instead of the original — and got turned away. Learn from my mistake!

Summary: What You Need to Travel in 2025

By May 7, 2025, you need either a REAL ID or a passport to fly domestically or enter federal buildings. Getting a REAL ID is easy if you follow the steps — and avoid common pitfalls.

Happy Travels!