(Spirit Lake)– In case you haven’t already gotten a REAL ID, you’ll want to do that soon. While the implementation of the REAL ID compliant driver’s licenses has been put off numerous times, Dickinson County Treasurer Kris Rowley says it’s now apparent it WILL go into effect next month, May 7th…
“When that happens you’ll have to have a Real ID compliant driver’s license or identification card or a United States passport in order to board a commercial airline or to enter most federal buildings in America or nuclear facilities, and those Real ID cards are issued through driver’s license stations throughout the state of Iowa.”
Rowley says the good news is that seeing how the implementation has been delayed multiple times means most people already have REAL ID compliant driver’s licenses…
“In Iowa the latest data I heard was 75 percent of everyone with driver’s licenses or identification cards currently have the Real ID star and that means they’re Real ID compliant. So a lot of people have been listening to us over the years and have already gotten them. But to get one you need to get over to a driver’s license station and it can be either a state station or a county station. Here in Dickinson county we run a driver’s license station right here in the courthouse right next to my office, adjoining it. It’s a part of the departments I’m over. We’re open Monday through Friday from 8:00 am until 4:30. Set up an appointment. We can sometimes work people in but we’ve got a pretty heavy schedule these days with the Real ID compliance date coming up so the best is just call us for an appointment at 712-336-6333, option 3.”
Rowley adds there are a few things you’ll want to bring with you to that appointment…
“Your date of birth, your Social Security number, your Iowa residency and a residential address, so all of that would be needed. And you can actually do a checklist through the Iowa Department of Transportation’s website, there’s a link for that, and I’ve gone through it. It’s a really, really nice little module that takes you through a series of questions and tells you what to bring or my staff can help you with that. That website is found at Iowadot.gov/mvd/realid/success. If you go onto the website through the Department of Transportation just type in search Real ID and it will take you over to that website.”
Rowley says once you have the REAL ID you won’t have to renew it the next time your driver’s license is up for renewal.
