HARRISBURG, Pa. — You can now apply online for a Real ID, but there's a catch.
If you're interested in obtaining a Real ID, and you obtained your first driver's license or photo ID card after September 2003, then you are eligible for Real ID pre-verification.
“Our goal is to offer Real ID to our customers in a way that is customer-focused and efficient,” said Secretary of Transportation Leslie S. Richards. “We are happy to offer these customers an opportunity to obtain a voluntary Real ID without having to visit a driver’s license center.”
According to a news release, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation may already have electronic information on file for those people.
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- PennDOT will begin sending postcards to those eligible customers to remind them to visit PennDOT's Driver and Vehicle Services website or call PennDOT's Customer Call Center at 717-412-5300 to confirm their documents are on file.
- Once someone has been pre-verified, they should get follow-up communication from PennDOT regarding the status of their application. Customers are not pre-verified until they have completed the online pre-verification process and received confirmation from PennDOT that all documents are on file.
- If they are, PennDOT will mark the customer's record as "verified," and after Real ID products are available in spring 2019, the customer can opt into the Real ID program online, pay the one-time $30 fee, plus their renewal fee (the Real ID product will include any time left on the current license plus the period of renewal) and their Real ID product will be sent through the mail, eliminating any need for this customer to visit a Driver License Center.
Real ID is optional for Pennsylvania residents, but starting on Oct. 1, 2020, a federally accepted form of identification -- whether it's a Real ID driver's license or ID card, a U.S. passport/passport card, or a military ID, etc. -- must be used to board a commercial flight or visit a secure federal building.
For more information, CLICK HERE.