Next year, holiday air travelers will face new identification requirements to board their flights.

When enforcement of the REAL ID Act begins Oct. 1, 2020, the regular Wisconsin driver license or ID will no longer be accepted identification for domestic air travel or to enter a federal building or military base. Travelers will need to present a REAL ID-compliant driver license or state ID card or another acceptable form of identification (such as a passport).

“Thanksgiving and holiday travel is hectic enough. This time next year, air travelers will need to show a REAL ID – such as a driver license or ID with the REAL ID star – or they will get turned away at the TSA checkpoint,” said Wisconsin Division of Motor Vehicles Administrator Kristina Boardman in a news release. “Wisconsin DMV has tools to help make getting the designation on your driver license or ID easy.”

DMV customers should start online: wisconsindmv.gov/REALID to prepare the paperwork, make an appointment at the DMV and reduce their time in line.

What documents are required to get a REAL ID?

To obtain a REAL ID-compliant driver license or ID card, visit a Wisconsin DMV and take the following original documents or a certified copy (not a photocopy, fax or scan):

  • Proof of Name and Date of Birth
  • Proof of Legal Presence in the U.S.
  • Proof of Identity
  • Proof of Name Change (if applicable)
  • Proof of Social Security Number
  • Proof of Address

For a complete list of acceptable documents, visit wisconsindmv.gov/REALID.

DMV’s interactive Driver Licensing Guide will help customers develop a personalized checklist of the required documents needed to bring to the DMV. It also allows customers to pre-fill any required application(s), print and bring the forms or submit them electronically (if eligible), and print a checklist of required documents to bring.

Costs to get a REAL ID

If it’s time to renew a driver license or ID, DMV customers can receive a REAL ID-compliant card for no additional fee if the upgrade takes place at the same time as the renewal. Customers whose current driver license or ID will not expire before 2020, may obtain a REAL ID-compliant card for $14 (the cost of a duplicate driver license), or $16 for a duplicate ID card.

Wisconsin offers both REAL ID-compliant and non-compliant driver licenses and ID cards. The cards look similar; REAL ID-compliant cards are marked with a star inside a circle. Non-compliant cards don’t have the star or are marked “NOT FOR FEDERAL PURPOSES.”  People may use other forms of ID, such as a passport. TSA offers a list of acceptable alternative identification cards: TSA.gov/REAL-ID

For more information, visit wisconsindmv.gov/REALID.