On Tuesday, January 12, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced that the Real ID Act will be entering into its final stage of implementation.
Rob Mikell, the Department of Driver Services Commissioner, reports that residents of Georgia won’t be effected by this final phase of implementation. “Georgia has been a Real ID compliant state since Dec. 20, 2012, and our residents should not be impacted during this important law’s final implementation,” he said.
With an effective date of Jan 22, 2018, air travelers with a state issued ID that is non-compliant with Real ID requirements will need to present an additional form of identification in order to board a domestic, commercial flight.
Since 2012, when they began to proactively pursue Real ID compliance, the Department of Driver Services (DDS) estimates that they have issued more than five million compliant ID cards. This makes up almost two-thirds of driver’s license and ID card holders in the state of Georgia. The expectation is that by July of 2017 nearly 98% of existing residence will obtain a compliant ID card.
Why the Real ID Act?
The intention of the Real ID Act is to prevent the fraudulent and unlawful use of state issued ID cards.
In 2004, it was recommended by the 9/11 Commission that standards be set by the U.S Government for identification sources, such as driver’s licenses. The Real ID Act was then enacted by Congress to prohibit federal agencies from accepting state issued driver’s licenses and ID cards, for official purposes, that do not comply with secure issuance and production standards.
If you would like more information about the Real ID Act, please visit the Department of Homeland Security website – www.dhs.gov