Illinois is for real about getting REAL IDs

PEORIA (25News Now) - A year from now, if you plan on booking a flight and don’t have a REAL ID, you’ll need a different form of identification or a trip to the DMV.

Illinois is quickly approaching the deadline to get a REAL ID. Starting May 8, 2025, a REAL ID will be required for people to fly domestically through commercial airports.

Jessica Mayle, a regional spokesperson for the Transportation Security Administration, says this federal law standardizes the requirements across all states regarding what it takes to get a driver’s license.

“What this came from is really a recommendation after 9/11, which was that we had 50 different states, 50 different standards for IDs, and we wanted to have one national guideline to make sure the people who are presenting the ID are really the right people,” Mayle said.

Illinois started offering REAL IDs in 2019.

Even though the deadline for Illinois residents to get them has been pushed back several times, Mayle says everyone will need them eventually.

“I really wouldn’t encourage people to roll the dice on this one. You’re going to need to have it, if you plan on flying with it, so you better make a plan to get it,” Mayle said.

The Illinois’ Secretary of State’s Office reports only 23.5% of state residents now hold a REAL ID. If you don’t fly airplanes for domestic travel and don’t visit military bases and federal facilities, the office says a standard ID will do just fine.

There are other documents travelers can use instead of a REAL ID, such as a passport. Peoria International Airport’s Director Gene Olson said most of those are just as complicated or more complicated than getting a REAL ID.

“The reason airports come into it is because every commercial airport has a TSA checkpoint, and that’s considered to be a federal access, so TSA will deny you boarding if you show up and you don’t have a passport or a TWIC (Traveling Workers Identification Card) or a REAL ID,” Olson said.

Illinois recently launched a “Get Real” campaign to spread awareness and create a sense of urgency as the deadline approaches.

Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias said if people apply now, it will avoid headaches in the future.

“We don’t want people to be heartbroken when they try and board a plane, but also, very importantly, from our perspective, what we don’t want to have in May of next year is an absolute rush of people trying to get their REAL IDs, and our DMV facilities are overburdened, and we’re unable to help people in an appropriate manner,” Giannoulias said.

People who want to apply for a REAL ID must make an in-person appointment with the DMV and bring several documents to prove their identity and residency. The Secretary of State has an interactive checklist of the required documentation.

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