Around 56% of Americans have a REAL ID, which is a federally compliant identification issued by states.
The idea for the REAL IDs was created after 9/11 to make state IDs more secure and harder to forge.
To obtain a REAL ID requires more documentation to prove the person’s identity.
Come May 7th, 2025, REAL IDs will be required for airline travel if you plan to use a state-issued ID.
But getting a REAL ID is not as easy as it’s made out to be.
Take Nathan’s story for example.
You see, Nathan has a hyphenated last name (for anonymity, we will call him Nathan Car-White).
He’s a U.S. citizen but was born in Japan. He has a certificate of birth abroad, instead of a traditional birth certificate.
“For 39 years, I’ve used a hyphenated name on every document,” Nathan said.
Now, Nathan is an attorney in Pennsylvania, and he added, “My law license in Pennsylvania is hyphenated,” he said.
In addition, his taxes, social security card, and home address are all in his hyphenated last name.
The only thing that doesn’t have his hyphenated last name is the certificate of birth abroad.
Nathan has twice tried to get a REAL ID, and both times he has been turned away.
Eventually, Nathan filed a court order to change his name.
To get his name changed was a drawn-out slog.
He had to advertise the notice in two newspapers and wait two months for a hearing.
Then he had to attend the hearing to formally add his hyphenated name to his certificate of birth abroad.
REAL ID compliance has been in the works for years.
And the deadline to have a REAL ID for airline travel has been pushed back multiple times because many states weren’t ready.
But the current deadline is fast approaching, so whether or not you have a REAL ID yet here are a few things you should know about them.
More security risks:
The federal government has pushed REAL IDs as being more secure.
But that comes with the price of privacy that ordinary Americans will have to give up obtaining a REAL ID.
For example, to get a REAL ID you will have to provide your DMV with an original birth certificate, social security card, other personal ID, and multiple proofs of residence.
Then you’re left hoping that the DMV is protecting your data, which, in the past, hasn’t happened.
For instance, in the past few years, the DMVs in Oregon, California, and Louisiana have been the victims of cyber-attacks.
In California alone, more than 38 million people had their data compromised.
So, you can’t trust the states to protect your data, history proves that.
Tracking citizens:
REAL IDs are machine-readable, which means they can easily be scanned and tracked.
That’s important to know because, if your pharmacy asks for your ID when you pick up medication, then that leaves a trail of your movements.
The local, state, and federal governments would all know where you were and what you were doing.
In effect, a REAL ID would create an internal passport, which sounds like something you would see in a country like North Korea, not America.
What’s next for REAL IDs:
Once REAL IDs become the norm, they will become a federal identification that can be used for different things.
For instance, companies could require a REAL ID for a job, or you might need a REAL ID to rent an apartment.
They could eventually become federal IDs required for many different things we do every day.
In that case, the government will slowly force compliance by creating an unfair disadvantage to those who don’t have REAL IDs.
If you don’t currently have a REAL ID, don’t rush out to get one.
Even if you fly a lot, ask the airline what other forms of ID are accepted to get your tickets and through security.
For example, if you have a passport, you can use that when flying.
It’s up to you to protect your vital information, nobody will care as much as you do.
