As REAL ID enforcement deadline approaches, BMV sees increase in business
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — As federal enforcement of REAL IDs gets closer, Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) offices have been busier.
Federal enforcement begins on Wednesday, May 7, and there were multiple times on when the Kenny Road BMV location in Columbus seemed busy inside and people were choosing to wait outside.
'I didn't even want to go inside,' customer Aaron Nesbitt said. 'I am not too claustrophobic but there's nowhere for me to stand in there.'
Nesbitt used the Get In Line online feature which helped him out; he was there to get his REAL ID.
Congress passed the REAL ID Act in 2005 with the intention of improving national security. Enforcement was delayed several times, but starting Wednesday, licenses will need to be REAL ID compliant to use them for boarding a flight.
The compliant REAL ID have a star in the top right corner.
'It's my own doing, kicking myself in the butt because I thought I had it, I was 99.95% sure I had it, but come to find out I looked at it last Friday and didn't have that little star,' Nesbitt said.
He is flying to visit family in a few weeks, which is why he decided to submit what he needed for a REAL ID on Monday.
Ohio BMV Registrar Charlie Norman said there's no reason to rush in for a REAL ID if you are not flying soon.
'I would really tell people, unless you have immediate travel plans, I would not come in right now,' Normal said. 'We're seeing probably about a 30% increase in traffic at our offices, so if you're not immediately traveling, this is something you can wait to get, wait until next week, or the week after or even wait until your regular renewal date if you can.'
For BMV business which doesn't require coming into the office, he encouraged people to get it done online. He said Ohio is right around the national average with 57% of the state's 9.5 million licenses and IDs being REAL ID compliant. He emphasized that people can still get their REAL IDs after May 7; that date is just when enforcement begins.
More information about what's needed to get a REAL ID or what you can use to fly if you do not have one can be found here.
A Transportation Security Administration (TSA) spokesperson shared the following statement with NBC4 about what people should do if they are waiting for their REAL ID to arrive and what federal properties will require them:
Temporary paper IDs alone are not accepted at the checkpoint. Passengers who are waiting for their REAL ID to arrive should check the full list of acceptable IDs (here) to see if they have another form of acceptable ID, such as a passport. If they do not, and their non-compliant legacy ID was returned to them, they should bring it to the checkpoint. These passengers may face additional screening.
After May 7, 2025, visitors seeking access to federal facilities that require proof of ID to enter using their state-issued driver's licenses or identification cards must present a REAL ID-compliant ID. Facilities choosing to implement the REAL ID deadline through a phased approach will provide additional information about the approach on their website.
When planning a visit to a federal facility or military base, visitors should contact the facility to determine what identification requirements are and what other forms of ID will be accepted.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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