Officials remind travelers to get 'Real ID' before 2020 deadline

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- TSA officials are reminding everyone that they will need to get what's called a "Real ID" in order to travel starting next year. 

You have until Oct. 3 of 2020 to get a "Real ID," but officials are encouraging everyone to get one sooner rather than later. 

If your driver's license doesn't have a star in the right-hand top corner, you need to get a new ID next year in order to travel within the country.

It's called a "Real ID," and officials say it stems back to a law passed years ago, but it doesn't take effect until next October.

"In 2005, Congress passed the Real ID Act, which enacts the 9/11 Commission's recommendation that the federal government set minimum security standards for state-issued driver's licenses and/or identification cards," said Mark Lendvay, Federal Security Director of the Department of Homeland Security TSA. 

Right now, only 38-percent of Wisconsinites and 30-percent of Milwaukeeans have a Real ID, and officials say they want that number to go up.

"Wisconsin DMV is working to make this as easy as possible. Start online. The driver's license guide will guide you through the process. You need to gather your paperwork in advance, and you can visit a Wisconsin DMV and bring original documents."

The documents include your social security card, your birth certificate and proof of address.

While the deadline to comply is nearly a year away, Mitchell airport officials are urging everyone to not wait, so their travel plans aren't ruined when they get to the airport come next holiday season. 

"You're not going to be able to travel, and that's the message we are trying to get out," said Mitchell Airport Director Brian Dranzik.

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