Some Los Angeles County Auto Clubs Offer CA Real ID

LOS ANGELES, CA — Angelenos who still need to apply for a Real ID will have the opportunity to bypass long lines at the Department of Motor Vehicles this month by visiting their local branch of the Automobile Club of Southern California instead.

The pilot Real ID program will be offered at 19 local Auto Club offices. State officials urged Californians to get the new identification cards; the pandemic stalled the process for residents.

A Real ID is a driver’s license or identification card that also acts as a federally acceptable form of identification. It allows passage into certain federal buildings and is an acceptable form of identification for air travel.

"We hope our partnership with the Automobile Club of Southern California will prompt its members to get their Real ID now and not wait until the last minute," DMV Director Steve Gordon said at a news breifing Tuesday.

An automobile club in the city of L.A. and 18 other branches across Southern California will begin offering the Real ID between the end of July and December, DMV officials said Tuesday.

For Angelenos, there are participating offices in L.A., Alhambra, Northridge, Chatsworth, Arcadia, Inglewood-Ladera, Rancho Palos Verdes, Long Beach and Camarillo.

"Getting a Real ID will add significant convenience to those who have plans to travel," said Michael Johnson, the club's senior vice president for member services. "The Auto Club is proud to have partnered with the DMV since 1915 to offer select DMV services at Auto Club branch locations."

Here's what you need to do.

• Fill out a Real ID application on the DMV's website, where you can upload documents, schedule an appointment and pay the fee.
• When arriving at an Auto Club location, show your confirmation code and documents to a DMV representative.
• The representative will use a mobile tablet to capture your fingerprint, snap a photograph and allow for an electronic signature to complete your application.

The pandemic threw a monkey wrench in the nation's original timeline for Americans to get their Real IDs, and the deadline to apply was moved several times. Residents appear to have plenty of time — until May 3, 2023 — to get their Real IDs, but officials urged residents to complete the process as soon as possible.

Fewer than 50 percent of Americans have been able to obtain a Real ID.

"Protecting the health, safety and security of our communities is our top priority," Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas said in June.

Californians who renewed their driver's licenses or identification cards during the pandemic became eligible in late June to get a Real ID upgrade for free, officials said.

Getting a Real ID isn't necessarily required, but the state recommended it. U.S. passports remain an acceptable form of federal identification to board any flight or visit a federal property. Those who are under 18 are not required to have a Real ID to fly.

View the DMV's fact sheet about the Real ID here.

It's important to note that the new federally compliant ID card looks slightly different from a traditional California driver's license. A Real ID driver's license has a little gold bear in the top right corner, while a regular driver's license is labeled "federal limits apply."

Any Californian who can prove her legal presence in the U.S. with one acceptable identity document is eligible to apply for a Real ID, officials said. People with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival or Temporary Protected Status are also eligible to apply if their documents are current, the DMV said.

See the Real ID checklist here.

The Real ID Act was passed after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to establish minimum security standards for state-issued driver's licenses and identification cards.

Find information about the Real ID in Spanish here.

Encuentra información sobre el Real ID en español aquí.