REAL ID May 2025 Deadline Is 1 Year Away: What You Need To Know In MA

MASSACHUSETTS — The countdown is on for Massachusetts residents who haven't gotten their REAL ID cards. After moving the deadline for getting the gold star required to board domestic flights and certain federal offices, Homeland Security officials set May 7, 2025, as the final date.

Individual states may have specific requirements to get a REAL ID card. At a minimum, applicants must provide documentation showing their full legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, two proofs of address of the principal residence, and lawful status.

To get a REAL ID in Massachusetts, you can save time at an RMV Service Center by starting any driver's license or ID transaction online. You can even finish some online.

If you can't finish online, at the end of the application you'll get a summary of your application and a list of documents you'll need to bring to a service center.

Documents must be originals with photocopies or laminated documents not accepted. If you are missing a required document, your credential will not be processed.

Accepted documents include a valid U.S. Passport, original or certified birth certificate issued from the city or town of childbirth, permanent resident card from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and certificate of citizenry from the Department of Homeland Security.

Your full name must match the name on the presented documents. If it does not, you must present a marriage certificate, divorce decree or court documentation of a name change.

You must also present a proof of Social Security number and proof of residency — driver's license, utility bill, school-issued documents, valid W-2 or mortgage, lease or rent statement.

COVID-19 backlogs in state agencies charged with issuing driver's licenses and identification cards prompted the last REAL ID extension in late 2022. The original 2020 deadline to get REAL IDs had been extended multiple times because of the pandemic.

After May 7, 2025, federal agencies, including the Transportation Security Administration, will no longer accept identification that does not meet the new standards.

The REAL ID Act of 2005 was passed by Congress in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. In addition to the stars, REAL ID cards are built with technology that makes them more difficult to forge, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Massachusetts residents who don't plan to fly domestically or visit a federal office don't need to do anything. A REAL ID isn't required to get a driver's license. Also, the TSA won't require children under 18 to provide identification when they're traveling with an adult companion within the United States, but the companion must have acceptable identification.

The REAL ID is not a substitute for a passport required for international travel, and it also does not affect the ability to vote or register to vote, applications for federal benefits, enter federal facilities that don't require identification, obtain medical care, or participate in police proceedings or investigations.