REAL ID deadline is 1 year from now: Here's what you need to know
REAL ID deadline is on May 7, 2025
SAN FRANCISCO -- If you're planning to fly around the country next year, you have about a year to get your Real ID.
The deadline is May 7, 2025.
A Real ID driver's license or ID card will let you fly domestically without a passport, and enter secure federal facilities such as military bases and courthouses.
WATCH | Real facts about REAL ID
You can check your status by looking at your license or ID card.
Those with Real ID show a bear with a gold star in the upper right corner.
Applicants will only need to provide their social security number and two proofs of California residency.
The DMV says you may not need a REAL ID to fly or enter secure federal buildings if you currently have a valid passport, military ID, Global Entry Card or other federally approved document. Also, "while a passport may allow you to fly within the U.S., a REAL ID does not replace a passport for international travel," the DMV said.
In 2023, the Department of Homeland Security delayed the deadline for air travelers to have a REAL ID another two years, to May 2025.
That was the third time the deadline was extended.
The REAL ID deadline was most first delayed a year from Oct. 1, 2020, to Oct. 1, 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was then extended another 19 months from Oct. 1, 2021, to May 3, 2023.
You can learn more about getting a REAL ID in California via the Department of Motor Vehicles or through the Department of Homeland Security.
ABC News' Mark Osborne contributed to this report
