logo
Pennsylvanians will need a Real ID by Wednesday; here's how to get a Real ID today

Pennsylvanians will need a Real ID by Wednesday; here's how to get a Real ID today

Yahoo16-05-2025
Pennsylvanians have two days to get a Real ID before the deadline, and here's what you need to know and do.
According to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the Department of Homeland Security, the deadline to obtain a Real ID in Pennsylvania is Wednesday, May 7.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation is hosting a series of Real ID Days at dozens of drivers license centers across the state to educate people and guide them through the Real ID process.
There is a Real ID Day today, Monday, May 5.
You will need to produce several other pieces of identification, including proof of citizenship, proof of residency and valid Social Security Number when applying for a Real ID.
Pennsylvanians can also obtain Real ID pre-verification online.
The next Real ID Day in Pennsylvania is Monday, May 12.
It is possible for you to obtain a Real ID after the May 7 deadline. You can apply for a Real ID at anytime.
Enforcement of the Real ID requirement is what begins on Wednesday.
Obtaining a Real ID is generally optional, but you will need a Real ID for most circumstances that require identification, particularly those flying without a passport.
Unsure if you need a Real ID in Pennsylvania? You can access the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's online Real ID questionnaire to find out if Real ID is right for you.
After Wednesday, May 7, a Real ID or another form of federally acceptable identification, such as a valid passport or military ID, will be required to:
Board domestic commercial flights
Enter a military base
Enter certain federal facilities that require a federally acceptable form of ID
A passport would still be necessary for international travel.
Damon C. Williams is a Philadelphia-based journalist reporting on trending topics across the Mid-Atlantic Region.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Midweek deadline to get a Real ID in Pennsylvania here's how to get it
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Visitors to the U.S. on business and tourist visas may have to pay $15,000 bonds
Visitors to the U.S. on business and tourist visas may have to pay $15,000 bonds

Miami Herald

time6 days ago

  • Miami Herald

Visitors to the U.S. on business and tourist visas may have to pay $15,000 bonds

Some international visitors to the United States might be required to pay up to $15,000 deposits as part of a new visa bond pilot program announced by the State Department this week in a document published in the Federal Register. The pilot program is another strategy the Trump administration is utilizing to crack down on illegal immigration and is meant to discourage the number of visitors who overstay their visas. The State Department said in the filing that those who overstay their visas pose a national security threat to the U.S. The program is being formed as part of the enforcement of a January executive order in which President Donald Trump declared there was an invasion by illegal immigration through U.S. borders. The consular officers in the respective U.S embassies will determine the amount of the bond during the issuance of the visa. Travelers will have to post the assigned bond amount before they are issued a single-entry visa, which will be valid for three months. Travelers with visa bonds would also be limited to traveling in and out of pre-selected airports. The list of airports has yet to be announced. The administration said 500,000 people overstayed their visas in 2023, based on data from the Department of Homeland Security. The pilot bond program will focus on those countries that the administration has identified as having high visa overstays. The program is limited to only B-1 business and B-2 tourist visas. It does not affect students applying for F-1 student visas. The full list of countries has yet to be announced. A State Department spokesperson said business and tourist visitors from Malawi and Zambia who are eligible for the B-1/B-2 visas will have to post bonds starting Aug. 20. According to Homeland Security's 2023 fiscal year visa overstay data, Malawi had a total visa overstay rate of 14% from 1,655 visitors, and Zambia had 11% from 3,493 visitors. The complete list of countries will be published when the program takes effect. This new program comes as South Florida airports saw a decline in the number of domestic and international travellers compared to the previous year. Dan Linblade, the president and CEO of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce, which represents more than 1,250 companies, said in a statement that international business and tourism were vital to the economy and the new bond pilot program is a 'disincentive to travel from abroad.' 'We are concerned of the potential negative impact on international tourism at a time when we see declining numbers related to foreign travel,' said Lindblade. 'If the State Department's focus is only targeted to bad players then the impact will be smaller.' The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, which covers the Sixth District of the Federal Reserve, including Florida, reported in July that group bookings from international travel to the U.S from Canada, Asia, and Europe continued to slow, but there was some growth in overall travel and tourism. In the filing this week, the Department of State said that after reviewing reports going back as far as 2000, when the Immigration and Naturalization Service Data Management Improvement Act was introduced, the reports of entry and exits of nonimmigrant visa holders to the U.S. who overstayed their visas show that thousands of visitors failed to depart by their visa terms. The first Trump administration had tried to initiate a six-month visa-bond pilot program in November 2020. The program was to 'serve as a diplomatic tool to encourage foreign governments to take all appropriate actions to ensure their nationals timely depart the United States after making temporary visits.' It was to run from December 2020 through June 2021. The State Department scrapped the pilot program due to the reduction of global travel because of COVID-19. 'Data collected during the Pilot may also be used to determine the effectiveness of visa bonds at reducing overstays, evaluate concerns about insufficient identity verification, and the extent to which visa bonds may deter otherwise legitimate B-1 and B-2 visa applicants from traveling to the United States,' the State Department said. The bond program will run until August 2026, and the countries on the list will continually be updated over the year. Visitors with bonds will have to file for a refund within 30 days of their departure from the United States. Failure to do so results risks forfeiting the deposits.

US Visa Holders Will Be Required to Pay Bonds of Up to $15,000 for Entry
US Visa Holders Will Be Required to Pay Bonds of Up to $15,000 for Entry

Yahoo

time7 days ago

  • Yahoo

US Visa Holders Will Be Required to Pay Bonds of Up to $15,000 for Entry

jimfeng/Getty Visiting the United States is about to get exorbitantly expensive for certain travelers. The US State Department has announced the launch of a visa bond pilot program that will require tourists and business travelers from specific countries to pay bonds of either $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000 as part of their visa application process. Officials published a notice of the 12-month trial program in the Federal Register on Tuesday, August 5. According to the notice, the bonds will apply to visitors from countries with high visa overstay rates or where screening and vetting data for travelers is deemed deficient, as determined by the Department of Homeland Security. However, the official list of countries has yet to be announced. The notices says that the trial program will be apply to all B1 and B2 visa applicants from a forthcoming list of countries. B1 and B2 visas are for business, tourism, or a combination of both and are typically valid for six months to one year. The B1 and B2 visas were selected for the pilot because their admission period to the US will be concluded within the one-year pilot "allowing for data collection at all stages of the process," according to the notice. For now, the bonds in the pilot program won't apply to student visas, which can be valid for several years, or other visa types. The bond amount each visa applicant will be required to post will be 'based upon the applicant's circumstances as determined by the consular officer but in an amount of no less than $5,000, unless the bond requirement is waived,' the notice states. Guidance in the documents show that consular officers will be advised to set the bond at $10,000 in most cases. Officials say that the program's list of countries will be released on the State Department's website when the bonds take effect in late August. After the initial list is published, countries could be added or removed on a rolling basis. The notice states that more than 500,000 travelers are suspected to have overstayed their US visas in 2023, according to DHS data. Travelers who comply with all the terms of their visas—including departing the US on time and not accepting unauthorized employment—will have their bonds refunded. On the other hand, travelers who breach their visa terms will forfeit the bond amount. Visa applicants will receive a State Department email to the address provided on their application with the link to post their bond amount via the US Treasury's service. Visitors from the 42 countries with which the US has a visa waiver agreement would automatically be exempt from the bond program, as they do not need an entry visa for stays of 90 days or less. The new bond payments will apply to all B1 and B2 visas for the listed countries. The visa bond program is scheduled to take effect 15 days after being published in the Federal Register, which would be August 20, 2025. When the initiative launches, travelers subject to the bonds will only be allowed to travel in and out of specific US airports that participate in the program, according to the federal notice. Airports will be chosen for the program 'based on their capacity to automatically confirm' that travelers have left the US, which likely means hubs with facial recognition technology at the Customs and Immigration checkpoint. The list of airports will be announced 15 days before the program launches and can be updated on a rolling basis. Visa bond policies have been proposed by federal officials numerous times, including by the first Trump administration. However, past policies have always been deemed too complicated and cumbersome to realistically execute. The goal of this pilot program, the federal notice states, is to assess whether visa bonds are feasible on an ongoing basis. The bond program's announcement comes as the US also plans to begin charging some travelers a $250 'visa integrity' fee. That fee, which is set to debut by the end of the year, will apply to all non-immigrant visa applicants and could also potentially be refunded to travelers who comply with the terms of their visas. Originally Appeared on Condé Nast Traveler The Latest Travel News and Advice Want to be the first to know? Sign up to our newsletters for travel inspiration and tips Stop Counting the Countries You Visit How Safe Is Flying Today? 5 Things Experts Want Travelers to Know The Best Places to See the Northern Lights Worldwide Solve the daily Crossword

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store