MCCANDLESS, Pa. — May 7, 2025 is when enforcement will begin for REAL IDs in Pennsylvania, so one month before that date, there was a long line outside of the Driver’s License Center in Allison Park. Dozens of people waited in the cold before the doors even opened.
Sean Neukom of Shaler Township was the first person in line Monday morning to get his REAL ID after he left last week empty handed.
“My ID expired, and I thought, ‘Oh, I may as well get it.’ I saw the line all the way down two stores down, and I thought, ‘Well, I guess I’ll come back,’” Neukom said.
Neukom waited more than an hour-and-a-half before his local Driver’s License Center opened in Allison Park for REAL ID Day. It was one of several locations across Western Pennsylvania where people could go today to get them ahead of the federal enforcement date.
“We’re getting down to the wire, and I knew that on Monday, this is all they were going to be doing, so I came bright and early,” said Christine Molitor of Ross Township, who also waited for more than an hour.
REAL IDs cost $30, in addition to the standard renewal fee you’d normally pay for your license or id. They are needed if you plan to enter a federal building or military base or you’re if you’re flying domestically and don’t have a passport.
“I play in a string quartet, so we’re traveling all the time,” Neukom said. “I can’t risk not having it.”
When applying for a REAL ID, be sure to bring your birth certificate or U.S. passport, proof of your social security number, and two documents showing your current address.
There are more REAL ID Days scheduled for later this month:
https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dmv/driver-services/real-id/real-id-days.html
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
©2025 Cox Media Group
