Beginning May 7, everyone must have a Real ID or another approved federally issued ID, such as a passport, to enter certain federal buildings, military bases and nuclear power plants or board U.S. commercial flights.
That’s less than a month away, but May 7 is not a deadline. It’s the implementation date of the Real ID Act, according to the state Department of Safety. Real IDs can be obtained at any time, and up-to-date driver’s licenses remain valid for Tennessee drivers. The state began issuing Real IDs in July 2019.
A Real ID is optional and is not needed to get a passport, drive, vote, purchase alcohol or cigarettes, access hospitals, visit post offices, access federal courts or apply for or receive federal benefits such as Social Security or veterans benefits, a news release said. There is no penalty for not having a Real ID.
But those who plan to fly commercially without a passport or enter secure federal government buildings will need a Real ID, state officials said. A valid passport is an alternative ID for boarding commercial flights.
“If you’re unsure whether you need a Real ID, visit tnrealid.gov,” Russell Shoup said in the release. Shoup is assistant commissioner of the Department of Safety. “If you don’t fly or access secure federal sites, you may not need one at all. But if you do, we want to make sure you have access to get one without stress.”
REAL ID
A Real ID — the standard set by Congress in 2005 after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks — bears a gold star at top right on a Tennessee driver’s license. Real ID is unrelated to the recently passed Save Act, related to voting.
Officials report state driver services centers across the state are already experiencing long lines, and so are participating county clerk’s offices.
Georgia has been ahead of the game for more than a decade with driver’s license requirements already in place that satisfy the Real ID Act. Compliant Georgia Real IDs have a gold star in the top right corner.
(READ MORE: Tennessee lawmakers propose state IDs that distinguish citizens from noncitizens)
To apply, applicants must bring proof of U.S. citizenship or legal presence, proof of their Social Security number and two proofs of Tennessee residency, according to state officials. If applicants’ names have changed, they must also bring a certified legal document supporting the name change. All documents must be original or certified. Photocopies will not be accepted.
The Hamilton County Clerk’s Office is providing Real IDs through a contract with the state — as are clerk’s offices in some other counties — and lines have been long as more people try to beat the implementation date, officials said. The downtown office on Georgia Avenue is the only clerk’s office location in Hamilton County providing Real ID service.
“Get here when we first open,” Brooke Weaver said by phone. Weaver is chief deputy in the Hamilton County Clerk’s Office. “If you come on your lunch break, you’re going to be in line a while.”
Don’t be in a hurry to get the new ID unless there’s a reason, she said.
“At the end of the day, if you’re not flying and you don’t need to get into a federal building, you can wait,” Weaver said. “You can still get a Real ID after May 7.”
Driver services centers have a process for making appointments to ease the process and reduce long lines, officials said.
“We’re not making you have appointments here, but we have long lines,” Weaver said.
Over five days, April 7-11, the clerk’s office downtown processed 334 Real ID transactions, she said.
“That doesn’t include the people we have to reject, and that’s on top of marriage licenses, notaries, business licenses,” Weaver said. “It’s been quite the undertaking. We’re doing the best we can, but we do have a line.”
(READ MORE: Real ID deadline again extended, pushed back to 2025)
Some confusion remains about required documents, particularly for those who have had a name change, she said. Original documents are required.
“So here they are, they’ve come all the way down here, went through security, and then their passport’s expired — that’s got to be current — or they will bring a birth certificate down here, but it’s a copy. It’s not an original,” Weaver said. “If you’ve been married or divorced or your name’s different than what it is on your birth certificate, you’ve got to show a paper trail. You’ve got to show that paper trail of your birth name all the way to your current name.
“Another thing I ran into … was a wife who had all the things to show, but when we ran her through the system, even though she’d been married a long time, she never went to Social Security and changed her name,” Weaver continued. “So, we had to reject her. It’s frustrating for them, I know.”
There are lines at state driver services centers, too, and a production delay of the Real ID cards could force some people to use their receipt for the card until they receive it, according to Charmaine J. McNeilly, spokesperson for the Department of Safety.
“The Department of Safety and Homeland Security has seen an increase in volume at driver services centers across the state,” McNeilly said in an email. “We anticipate the higher volume will continue through the May 7 implementation date.”
Real ID appointments can be made to ease the process, including special Real ID appointments on Saturdays, McNeilly said.
“Saturday appointments will be offered at the Chattanooga Bonny Oaks Driver Services and Reinstatement Center through June,” she said. “Appointments can only be made 90 days out.”
Tennessee’s printing facility faced a setback with one of its printers, which caused a delay in production, McNeilly said.
“We are back to full production, and Tennesseans are now receiving their physical license within the projected 20 business days,” she said. “Until they receive their physical license, the receipt that Tennesseans receive at a driver services center or from a driver services self-service kiosk will serve as their interim ID.
“Anyone who does not receive their new credential within 20 business days or who has questions about their new credentials or interim ID can contact the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security at 866-849-3548,” McNeilly continued.
The agency apologizes for the inconvenience, she said.
Meanwhile, applicants should try to plan well ahead of any air travel.
“If you will need a Real ID to travel, make sure you apply for your new credential well before your planned trip,” McNeilly said. “Getting the hard copy of your new ID in the mail can take up to 20 business days.”
PRO TIPS
Applicants can get their Real ID required documents preapproved through the agency’s e-service site to save trouble, McNeilly said.
“Tennesseans can visit tnrealid.gov to find out what documents they need to bring and can upload those documents for review by our driver services team,” she said. “By having your Real ID required documents preapproved, you will know that you are bringing the correct documents when you visit a driver services center. Please allow up to five business days for your documents to be preapproved.”
Tennessee driver’s license or ID holders can apply for a Real ID at a state driver services center or a participating county clerk’s office, officials said. Those with no Tennessee driver’s license or ID must apply for a Real ID at a driver services center. For Tennessee residents who are getting their first driver’s license or those who are renewing, the cost to get a Real ID is $28. A Real ID obtained outside of the renewal period requires an additional duplication fee of either $8 or $12, depending on the license classification.
If lines are long at high-demand centers in urban counties, people can check with centers in nearby counties for availability, according to the agency.
Most credentials, including Real IDs, renew on an eight-year cycle, and the cost for renewal is the same as the non-Real ID version, according to officials. Tennesseans with a valid Real ID do not need to present documents to renew it.
Contact Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569.