MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — The Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles and the Transportation Security Administration are reminding Vermonters that in October 2020 they will need Real ID compliant drivers’ licenses to board a plane or enter a secure federal facility.
Vermont’s driver’s licenses and identification cards that are REAL-ID compliant have a star in the upper right corner to indicate that they meet federal regulations.
Getting the enhanced licenses is optional, but beginning on Oct. 1 next year people who do not have them will not be able to use their drivers’ licenses to board a domestic flight or to access secure federal facilities.
“Vermont started this process early, and 92 percent of credentials in our state already are Real ID-compliant,” said Vermont Motor Vehicle Commissioner Wanda Minoli.
Vermont began to offer its residents the option to become Real ID compliant on January 1, 2014.
Congress required more secure IDs in 2005, but the deadline for enforcement has been pushed back many times in the face of opposition by privacy advocates and slow adoption by many states.
The Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles has a number of options for Real ID compliant documents. Those choices are explained on the website.
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