Real ID Deadline Pushed Back 1 Year Due to Coronavirus Pandemic

Pasadena residents need not rush applying for the new federally mandated RealID, which the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) said can now be obtained by filing an application online.

Acting U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf has announced the deadline for obtaining RealID has been extended by one year, or until October 2021.

Wolf broke the news on Twitter Thursday.

“I have determined that states require a 12-month delay and that the new deadline for REAL ID enforcement is October 1, 2021,” Wolf wrote. “The federal state and local response to the spread of #coronavirus here in the US necessitates a delay in this deadline. Our state and local partners are working tirelessly with the Admin to #flattenthecurve and we want to remove any impediments to response and recovery efforts.”

DHS will publish an official notice of the new deadline in the Federal Register in the coming days, Wolf said.

On March 9, California DMV Director Steve Gordon said people applying for ReaID could simply go online, fill out the application form and upload the required documents at home. When they go to the DMV office, the applicants will receive an “Express Experience,” Gordon said in an advisory.

“No more excuses. No reason for Californians who want a Real ID not to come to an office,” Gordon continued. “No appointment is needed, and now there is an option to bring your confirmation and be treated as if you have an appointment.”

As of last month, only about 35 percent of U.S. IDs complied with the REAL ID Act, CNN said in a report. Even before the coronavirus outbreak, Wolf had told lawmakers the prospect of all states being able to issue REAL IDs by October 2020 was “probably fairly small.”