Have you gotten your REAL ID? A look at compliance across the DC area

The deadline to change your driver’s license to a REAL ID is coming up. Here’s how many in the D.C. area have made the switch.

There’s six months to go until the federally-mandated deadline for REAL ID compliance.



In Virginia, 43% of Virginians have made the change, which is more than 2.7 million people. The commonwealth has issued more than half a million REAL IDs in the past year alone.

In Maryland, 88% are ready to go when the switch happens. That leaves half a million people who haven’t made the change.

D.C. has the highest rate in the area, with more than 92% or almost 600,000 people who are REAL ID compliant. There are still more than 46,000 residents who need to get the new IDs. 

If you don’t switch to your REAL ID by May 3, you will be unable to board an airplane or gain access to federal facilities with your driver’s license. You will still be able to use your passport if your driver’s license is not updated to a REAL ID.

Obtaining a REAL ID driver’s license or identification card with the REAL ID star requires that customers have one proof of age and identity, proof of Social Security, and two proofs of residency on file.

Valerie Bonk

Valerie Bonk started working at WTOP in 2016 and has lived in Howard County, Maryland, her entire life. She's thrilled to be a reporter for WTOP telling stories on air. She works as both a television and radio reporter in the Maryland and D.C. areas. 

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