18-04-2025
Attention New Hampshire flyers: The May 7 Real ID deadline is for real
The DMV was the place to be this past week with the deadline looming for Real ID.
More than 50 people spent their lunch hour Thursday waiting about 15 minutes to get the federally compliant driver's licenses or state-issued identification at the Division of Motor Vehicles in Concord.
Twenty years since the Real ID Act was signed into law, about 65% of New Hampshire license or ID holders are already all set.
The rest of you have some work to do.
Starting May 7, anyone over 18 who wants to board a domestic flight or enter a federal building or nuclear power plant will need a Real ID or a combination of other accepted documents. People across the U.S. have been jamming DMV offices ahead of the deadline.
But be warned: In New Hampshire it can take up to 60 days to get your license or non-driver ID card through the mail, and the temporary paper IDs issued by the DMV won't be enough on their own to get you through airport security.
So, if your sister's destination wedding is in July, the time is now.
'People should be prepared if they go to the airport on May 7. They're going to see a larger TSA agent presence. If you have the Real ID, or you have a passport or you have one of the other documents that's listed on the TSA website ( you're going to be just fine,' said John Marasco, the state director of motor vehicles.
And if you don't?
'They are going to do random screening and with that you run the risk of being held up for a period of time, and/or being turned away,' Marasco said.
Attention New Hampshire flyers: The May 7 Real ID deadline is for real
Director of Motor Vehicles John Marasco speaks with a reporter about Real ID at the DMV in Concord on Thursday.
The federal Transportation Security Administration (TSA) handles airport security. For more information, visit Marasco said the screening can take up to 45 minutes to get through the TSA checkpoint without a Real ID.
Manchester's Cindy Dawson was up for renewal last August, so she opted in for the Real ID.
'It took me two tries because I didn't bring all the forms the first time, but they made it clear online. I just didn't read it carefully,' Dawson said. 'If you bring all your forms, it takes no time.'
She didn't have travel plans when she renewed, but 'I plan to in the future, so I knew it would make it easier,' she said.
Alternatives to Real ID
Other acceptable forms of identification include a U.S. or foreign passport, permanent resident card, border-crossing card, U.S. Department of Defense ID, and U.S. citizenship or immigration card. For a complete list, visit
For folks who don't have one of those other one-and-done IDs and won't have a Real ID in time, officials recommend bringing a regular driver's license or state ID that didn't expire more than a year ago and a Social Security card and/or birth certificate.
Those might help you get through the extra TSA screening, but you'll still be held up until the verification process is complete.
The more documents you bring, the quicker the screening might go.
Attention New Hampshire flyers: The May 7 Real ID deadline is for real
Wendell 'Bud' Durling of Sanbornton gets photo taken for his Real ID at the Department of Motor Vehicles in Concord on Thursday. The deadline to have a Real ID is May 7.
What is the Real ID?
After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the 9/11 Commission recommended national security standards for state-issued IDs, and Congress passed the Real ID Act in 2005.
'Eighteen of the 19 hijackers that were involved in the 9/11 attacks had multiple licenses and multiple identifications,' Marasco said.
In addition to Real ID, there's a program called State to State, which connects all DMVs to a database to ensure that every person has only one valid state ID. Even if you live in Florida during the winter and in New Hampshire the rest of the year, you cannot have an active license in each state at the same time. This includes commercial licenses.
Who needs a Real ID?
Travelers 18 or older flying within the United States. New Hampshire will continue to offer the non-compliant state driver's licenses and IDs for people who don't need the extra level of security for personal or professional purposes.
How to tell if you have a Real ID?
In the top right corner of a Real ID, there's a gold circle with a star in the middle — or if you have the newly designed New Hampshire ID, there's a gold Old Man of the Mountain with a star in the middle.
How to get a Real ID
Residents can go online and schedule an appointment at their nearest DMV office. The state has 14 locations. To find the DMV nearest you, visit Walk-ins are accepted when it's not overly busy, but your wait time will be longer than if you make an appointment.
'They said 15 minutes, but it was a little longer because there are so many people coming in,' Wendell 'Bud' Durling of Sanbornton said Thursday in Concord.
A new Real ID costs $10 more than the non-compliant ones or $3 more if it's a renewal, Marasco said.
To convert to a Real ID, you'll need proof of identity, Social Security and residency.
For identity, you need one of the following: original birth certificate with a raised seal; certificate of naturalization or citizenship; a passport; a permanent resident card; an I-94 card for asylum or refugee status; or government-issued documentation.
All documents must be valid and unexpired.
To prove you have a Social Security number, you must show one of the following: your Social Security card; paystub with your Social Security number; W-2 tax form with your full Social Security number; or a 1099 tax form with your full Social Security number.
For the residency requirement, you'll need TWO of the following: an unexpired driver's license or non-driver ID card with your current address; a vehicle title application prepared by a town or city clerk or tax collector; a New Hampshire vehicle registration; a signed lease, rental agreement or deed for your address; a property tax bill from the current year; verification by a parent or guardian; a notarized letter from a property owner or resident dated within the last 60 days; a mortgage statement for your current address; a utility bill for your home; a government check or document issued within the last 60 days; or a payroll document or employment contract dated within 60 days.
Marriage certificates
But wait, there's more.
One of the most common documents people forget to bring to the DMV is a marriage certificate if their name has changed. The state needs to see proof if your current name doesn't match your other documents.
This was a common problem with New Hampshire's new voter ID law that gave voters fits in March.
For those wondering why you can't just use a Real ID for everything, there are subtle differences for flying and voting. The Real ID verifies someone's identity. New Hampshire's voter ID law requires verification of citizenship.
In a nutshell, you can fly if you're not a citizen, but you can't vote.
TSA scanner problems
Because the TSA is a federal agency, it uses a different system than the state. TSA has had some issues since New Hampshire's new IDs came out this year.
'I just took a trip to Orlando and they held us up a bit because of the new license. I don't know what they didn't like about it,' said Clarke Center of Keene, who was at the DMV Thursday to renew vehicle his registration.
Marasco said the feds approved the state's new IDs, but TSA is playing catchup. Those problems appear to be mostly resolved, he said.
'We issue you the federally compliant credential. What goes on May 7 at the airport, and how they're going to work with that credential, or any other documents to get on an aircraft, that's outside of our scope,' he said.
Attention New Hampshire flyers: The May 7 Real ID deadline is for real
Seated in front of a Real ID poster, Carol Reid of Keene waits her turn at the Division of Motor Vehicles in Concord on Thursday. The poster is part of an awareness campaign sponsored by the DMV to alert residents of the May 7 federal Real ID deadline. As of that date, Real ID will be required for domestic air travel in the United States. Travelers without it will be subject to lengthy screening and delays.
If you don't know by now
The DMV launched a large-scale, yearlong advertising and marketing campaign called 'Reach New Heights' leading up to the deadline. The blitz included a video of former New England Patriot Rob Gronkowski.
After Real ID enforcement was delayed for several years and disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Marasco said he wanted his team to get the word out in a big way.
'If you go to Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, you'll see our posters that we created in-house a year ago. If you're waiting for your flight, you'll see our Real ID information on the monitors. You'll see our posters in the elevators at the airport and the parking garage. We've done a good job marketing with them,' he said.
'New Hampshire has gone the extra mile to get it out there. I don't think there is anybody who can say 'I live in New Hampshire and I didn't know I had to get my Real ID.''
The result is one of the highest percentages of people with Real IDs among the 50 states, he said.
'I think with the rushes that we're having in the lobby right now over the last couple of weeks, I think it's likely we could be closer to 70% by the time we get into the beginning or middle of May,' Marasco said.
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