ADOT: Arizona to begin issuing REAL ID cards on Friday
Mar 30, 2016, 4:55 PM | Updated: Mar 31, 2016, 10:51 am
(Arizona Department of Transportation Photo)
(Arizona Department of Transportation Photo)
PHOENIX — Arizona’s new voluntary travel identification card will be available to the public starting Friday, the state transportation department said.
The card from the Arizona Department of Transportation meets federal REAL ID security requirements. It will be needed to board a plane, enter restricted federal buildings or access military bases and will serve as a driver’s license.
Despite the new card, Arizona residents do not need to be worried about their ID being invalid.
“Citizens have until October 2020 to use their existing ID,” Eric Jorgensen, director of ADOT’s Motor Vehicle Division, said. “That gives them time to make the decision whether or not they need it, whether or not they want it.”
Jorgensen said there will be two noticeable differences between the new ID cards and existing driver’s licenses.
“If it is a REAL ID compliant license, this one will have a little star on the upper corner of it,” Jorgensen said. “Any license [issued] that’s not compliant with the federal REAL ID Act [will] state on it, ‘not for federal identification.’”
Jorgensen said another thing that separates current IDs from REAL IDs is the amount of documentation needed to obtain one of the new cards.
Beginning Friday, Arizona residents can visit ServiceArizona.com and make an appointment to get the ID at one of eight MVD offices across the state. Residents will have to show an MVD representative one document to establish birth, such as a birth certificate or a U.S. passport.
They will also need one document to confirm Social Security information, such as a Social Security card or a W-2.
Residents will need two forms to establish proof of residency, such as a bank statement, utility bill or voter registration card.
In addition, driver license holders can visit 24 third-party driver’s license providers throughout the state. The same documentation will be required.
The new travel ID cards will cost $25 and will expire after eight years.
Anyone who does not travel on planes or need access to restricted federal buildings or military bases does not need to get a new travel ID. Rather than getting the new card, Arizonans could opt to use a passport as a form of identification to get through airport security instead of a driver’s license.
