Mainers’ Need for a Real ID to Fly Gets Pushed Back Again

Within the last two years, I updated my driver's license and when it came in the mail I was beyond confused. I opened the envelope to find my license inside but with bold letters across the top of it: NOT FOR REAL ID PURPOSES.

I stared at it in confusion. If this isn’t a real ID then what the heck is it?

Real IDs in Maine

At first, I was nervous people would think it was a fake ID but quickly realized how silly it would be to have a fake that says “not a real ID” in bold letters across the top. Soon after, I learned about the federal push for everyone in the country to acquire a “Real ID”.

Maine started issuing new IDs in 2019 that are federally-approved Real IDs for domestic flights. We were all told we needed to update our licenses to acquire these but as with everything, the pandemic pushed that back.

As Yahoo shares, The Department of Homeland Security just pushed back the deadline from May 3, 2023, to May 7, 2025, so now Mainers have another two years before they need to worry about having a Real ID.

After this deadline, you will need to get your new ID or you will not be allowed to board a commercial flight unless you have a passport.

That 2023 deadline was approaching quickly but now we all have more time to worry about getting our hands on a Real ID. I just find it annoying because we are obviously going to have to pay for one.

In my opinion, we should all be able to update our license and be issued the Real ID for free since it's a requirement. But, as with most things in life, some things just aren’t fair.