Federal Real ID enforcement delayed to May 2025

News Release from City and County of Honolulu, Dec 6, 2022

HONOLULU – O‘ahu residents now have an additional two years to get the REAL ID-compliant driver’s licenses and state identification cards necessary to board domestic flights and enter some federal buildings.

The Department of Homeland Security has pushed back the enforcement deadline from May 3, 2023 to May 7, 2025, providing states with additional time to ensure that residents have driver’s licenses and identification cards that meet the security standards established by the REAL ID Act.

The Real ID-compliant credentials will be required at airport security checkpoints on May 7, 2025, when every air traveler over age 18 will need a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or another acceptable form of ID to fly within the United States, including the Hawaiian Islands.

An estimated 90 percent of O‘ahu motorists now have a REAL ID credential that features a “star” in a gold circle in the upper right-hand corner of a driver’s license. Of the 645,602 active driver’s licenses on O‘ahu, 574,455 are compliant and ready for the full implementation of the Real ID Act.

“We are extremely encouraged that a significant number of O‘ahu residents have driver’s licenses that already meet the security standards established by the REAL ID Act,” said Kim Hashiro, director of the city’s Department of Customer Services. “We want to also encourage more residents to use the extra time and our extended Saturday hours to obtain their REAL ID soon.”

To get a Real ID-compliant driver license on O‘ahu, residents will need an appointment for an in-person visit to a driver licensing center with a completed application and the required documents. Information on the required documents is available on the city’s Real ID webpage. There is no additional cost to obtain a Real ID-compliant card. Appointments can be made at Alohaq.org.

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