Need a Real ID? Massachusetts RMV is now taking walk-in appointments.
The RMV in Massachusetts is now taking walk-in appointments at all of its service centers for residents to get a
Real ID,
with less than a month to go before an important federal deadline.
Starting May 7, you will need a Real ID-compliant driver's license, ID or valid passport in order to fly domestically in the United States. More than three million people in Massachusetts have already
obtained their Real IDs
.
"As we get closer to May 7, we are very pleased to see more and more residents coming in for a REAL ID-compliant credential. For those who haven't, there is no need to panic," Registrar of Motor Vehicles Colleen Ogilvie said in a statement. "We are increasing our capacity at our service centers, and we are also accepting walk-ins for individuals who have imminent travel plans that require a REAL ID."
If a walk-in customer to the RMV can't be seen immediately, an employee will help them schedule another time slot later in the day or in the near future. Appointments will continue to be offered up to and after the May 7 deadline.
The RMV says most customers just need to show four documents proving their lawful presence in the United States, their Social Security number and Massachusetts residency.
To prove lawful presence in the U.S., applicants can show a passport or birth certificate. Proof of a Social Security number can be satisfied with a Social Security Card, W-2 tax form, or pay stub that displays the numbers. And to prove Massachusetts residency, a current driver's license, government-issued mail or credit card statement would suffice.
Click here
for a full list of acceptable documents.
The Transportation Security Administration website says "on May 7, 2025, U.S. travelers must be REAL ID compliant to board domestic flights and access certain federal facilities." A Real ID has a star in the top right corner of the card.
Does that mean travelers will be turned away at airport security next month if they don't have a Real ID or passport? Not necessarily, Ogilvie indicated recently, as federal officials have planned to start with a
"phased enforcement"
approach.
"What we've heard from our Transportation Security Administration partners over the last several months is that they would not do any hard stop of somebody that didn't have a Real ID, government-issued document upon travel on May 7," Ogilvie told lawmakers.
She said TSA agents might ask those people to show additional identification, or give them information about getting a Real ID if they don't have a passport.
"We don't think there's going to be a hard stop," Ogilvie said.
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