SPRINGFIELD — Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White announced that Illinoisans now have the opportunity to apply for a REAL ID card.
A REAL ID is a new type of Illinois driver’s license or ID card that meets federal guidelines allowing the holder to board airplanes for domestic travel or to enter secure federal facilities beginning Oct. 1, 2020. The federal government requires REAL ID applicants to provide additional documents to obtain the card. Illinois residents are not required to obtain the new card and can rather choose to keep their current standard driver’s license or ID and use a valid passport to board domestic flights after Oct. 1, 2020.
There is no immediate need to apply for a REAL ID card because current Illinois driver’s licenses or ID cards will be accepted for domestic air travel or to enter secure federal facilities until Oct. 1, 2020. A valid U.S. passport is an acceptable alternative to a REAL ID card.

The application process for a REAL ID card takes longer at the facility than a standard DL/ID application since more documents are required by the federal government. As a result, the public is asked to please be patient while visiting Driver Services facilities.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has certified Illinois as fully compliant with the REAL ID Act. The REAL ID Act is a federal mandate by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that sets standards for state-issued DL/IDs by making identity documents more secure to combat fraud and identity theft.
REAL ID cards meet security requirements set by the federal government and will have a gold star marking in the top right corner. Newly-issued standard DL/IDs that do not comply with requirements of the federal REAL ID Act will be marked with the phrase “Federal Limits Apply,” as called for by the federal law.
A full list of approved documents is available at REALID.ilsos.gov. Residents are encouraged to use the interactive checklist at https://realid.ilsos.gov/checklist.html to determine what documents are recommended to bring to the facility in order to apply for a REAL ID.
For more information on REAL ID, visit REALID.ilsos.gov. For more information on the REAL ID Act, please visit the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s website at dhs.gov/real-id-public-faqs.