Ark. — Starting May 3, 2023, REAL IDs are required to board domestic commercial flights and to enter secure federal buildings.
“The reason everyone hasn't obtained a REAL ID is because it's simply just a little more complicated," said Scott Hardin, spokesperson for the AR Department of Finance and Administration.
A REAL ID is a driver’s license or identification card that’s federally accepted. People who do not have a REAL ID will have to provide other government-approved documents, such as a passport, in order to board domestic flights or to enter a federal courthouse when the federal guidelines take effect.
"If that dream family vacation is planned for next summer of 2023, the last thing we want to see is someone show up at the airport and say, nobody told me, because that would be a nightmare for everyone," Hardin said.
A REAL ID contains a star at the top of the card.
In Arkansas, the cost is $10 if the existing expiration date is transferred from a regular license or ID to the REAL ID. The cost is $40 if a new expiration date (a full eight years) is established on the REAL ID.
Getting a REAL ID does require some extra paperwork. According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, a person must have documents showing their full legal name, date of birth, social security number, two proofs of address and lawful status.
"Your passport, birth certificate or visa in the first category. The second category, just anything, your driver’s license, concealed carry permit, your hunting or fishing license, your work or school ID; something that shows your identity. And then third, your residency. And you have to have two of those documents. So, it can be a gas bill, a water bill," Hardin said.
The top reason people may have to make a second trip to their local revenue office is for name changes that do not match up. "If it's because of a divorce, bring a divorce decree. If it changes because of a marriage, bring the marriage certificate. Just justify that name change," Hardin said.
In Arkansas, the state has issued approximately 500,000 REAL IDs and approximately 1.8 million people currently have regular driver’s licenses or ID cards, according to Hardin.
