Real ID deadline: Arizona MVD offices see long lines
Arizona residents are facing long lines and delays at MVD ahead of the Real ID deadline for domestic flights.
PHOENIX — The deadline to get a Real ID-compliant driver’s license is less than a week away — and the line at the MVD is only getting longer.
Starting May 7, Arizonans will need a Real ID — or another form of federally accepted identification — to board domestic flights or enter federal buildings that require ID checks.
However, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation, it may already be too late to get one in time.
Even if you go to the MVD today, it could take up to two weeks for your new Real ID to arrive in the mail.
“Your credentials will be mailed to you. It takes about 10, maybe 14 days to get mailed to you,” said Bill Lamoreaux, an ADOT spokesperson. “So if you’re trying to fly on the seventh or eighth, you might hopefully have other options, like a passport or other federal credentials already.”
Applicants will receive a temporary paper license while waiting for the permanent card, but TSA may or may not accept that document at security checkpoints.
Without the physical Real ID, travelers may face additional screening, delays, or even risk missing their flights.
Here’s a list of acceptable forms of identification from TSA.gov.
- State-issued Enhanced Driver’s License (EDL) or Enhanced ID (EID)
- U.S. passport
- U.S. passport card
- DHS trusted traveler cards (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST)
- U.S. Department of Defense ID, including IDs issued to dependents
- Permanent resident card
- Border crossing card
- An acceptable photo ID issued by a federally recognized Tribal Nation/Indian Tribe, including Enhanced Tribal Cards (ETCs).
- HSPD-12 PIV card
- Foreign government-issued passport
- Canadian provincial driver’s license or Indian and Northern Affairs Canada card
- Transportation worker identification credential
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Employment Authorization Card (I-766)
- U.S. Merchant Mariner Credential
- Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC)
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