REAL ID deadline looms: WA residents face long DOL wait times
This story was originally published on MyNorthwest.com.
The deadline for a REAL ID is a week away, and wait times at the Department of Licensing (DOL) are consistently more than an hour long across the Puget Sound region.
By May 7, Washington residents will need to have a REAL ID—a state-issued driver's license or ID card with enhanced security standards outlined by the REAL ID Act of 2005. For those trying to fly without one after May 7, passengers could face delays, additional screening, or be turned away from airport security, according to TSA.
'Passengers traveling after this enforcement deadline should either travel with an acceptable alternative form of ID, like a passport, or enroll for a state-issued REAL ID through their state DMV offices,' the TSA stated.
To add to the frustration, scheduling a DOL appointment is becoming increasingly harder as some locations are booked for up to 60 days.
There are other forms of ID that can get passengers aboard a flight. State-issued enhanced driver's licenses (EDL) or enhanced IDs (EID), a U.S. passport or a U.S. passport card, DHS trusted traveler cards, U.S. Department of Defense ID (including IDs issued to dependents), a permanent resident card, a border crossing card, photo IDs issued by a federally recognized Tribal Nation/Indian Tribe, including Enhanced Tribal Cards, a HSPD-12 PIV card, a foreign government-issued passport, a transportation worker identification credential, a U.S. citizenship and immigration services employment authorization card (I-766), a U.S. merchant mariner credential, or a veteran health identification card (VHIC).
The Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) has confirmed it is prepared to help travelers get on their flights without a REAL ID by offering other identity verification procedures. TSA will even accept expired forms of the above-mentioned IDs by up to two years.
It takes up to 10 business days for the DOL to mail out the new, REAL IDs.
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