Oregon transportation leaders gathered at Portland International Airport on Tuesday to make an unusual plea: Avoid the DMV next summer at all costs.

Starting in July, Oregon will finally issue Real ID-compliant driver’s licenses. The state expects to be the last in the country to comply with the federal rules that were set in motion by Congress in 2005.

But starting on Oct. 1, 2020, all air travelers must have a federally recognized form of identification to board domestic flights in the U.S. If you have a passport, that means you’re all set, as long as you remember to bring it to the airport.

But just an estimated 37% of Oregonians have a valid passport. Real ID cards have been optional for air travel up to now, and according to the Department of Homeland Security, just 27% of Americans have a Real ID card as of Tuesday.

Oregonians who request the cards starting next summer will receive a license similar to what they may already have, but the Real ID-compliant card will be adorned with a black star in the upper right-hand corner.

Because Oregon won’t start issuing Real IDs until July 6, that means the table is set for a potentially disastrous three months at the state’s 60 DMV offices and at airports from Portland to Medford unless people know what’s coming. State officials are urging people who plan a trip to the DMV for other issues to plan accordingly and expect potentially lengthy delays.

“If you want control over that situation,” Tom McClellan, administrator of Oregon’s DMV, said in a news conference of the potential for lengthy lines at the airport and DMV, “Start now.”

By start now, McClellan means those Oregonians who don’t have a U.S. passport should start the application process to get one as soon as possible, especially if they plan to fly anywhere between July and October of next year. If you have a soon-to-be expired passport, be aware of that too and act accordingly.

According to the U.S. State Department, it can take six to eight weeks to obtain a passport in some cases. Passports can be expedited in certain cases or issued the same day in certain locations.

Oregon lawmakers stiff-armed federal regulators in 2009 and prohibited the state from spending money to comply with Real ID. The state wasn’t the only one to do so, but it is likely to be the last to comply with the federal rules. IN 2018, the state Legislature repealed the previously bill and set a path toward compliance by 2020.

Transportation officials estimate that some 960,000 Oregonians may want a Real ID once those documents are available next year. An estimated 3.25 million Oregonians have current driver’s licenses. DMV officials say the agency issues roughly 600,000 to 700,000 renewals, replacement cards and motorcycle endorsements every year. Licenses are valid for an eight-year period.

Tom Fuller, Oregon Department of Transportation communications director, said the state legislature in 2017 dictated a robust public information campaign ahead of the Real Id rollout.

He said air travelers who didn’t bring a passport with them will start receiving bookmarks and other literature at TSA stations informing them of the situation.

The state desperately is trying to get the word out to apply for a passport, first and foremost, if you don’t have one. “There simply is not enough time for DMV to produce enough Real ID licenses to meet the demand,” Fuller said.

Real IDs will be mailed to Oregonians anywhere from five to 10 days after applications and documents are submitted.

Oregon is in the midst of installing new computer systems at all of the state DMVs. The offices will begin training in April on the new Real ID software, and that training will extend through June. The state approved funding for 49 new DMV employees to help with the situation.

Applicants must bring a federally recognized form of identification, like a birth certificate, to the DMV when applying for a new or replacement card starting in July. They must also bring proof of a home address and a document like a paystub or W-2 with proof of a valid Social Security Number.

Those documents will be scanned into a secure system at the DMV.

DMV officials note that those are all documents that most Oregonians will have brought when first applying for a driver’s license. But the applications must be submitted in person and the state projected it could add 8 minutes to every transaction, not including the waiting time in the lobby nor the 10-plus minutes needed to go through the license application process.

A final cost for the Real ID card hasn’t been finalized, but McClellan said it would likely be around $20. That cost is in addition to the $40 fee for a license renewal.

Real IDs are not required for Oregon residents under the age of 18. Minors are not required to have a passport if they are traveling with a companion.

Oregon lawmakers this year approved a bill that would remove the legal residency requirement for obtaining a state driver’s license. That bill, which opened the door to non-citizens legally obtaining driver’s licenses, will be effective January 2021.

But those driver’s licenses aren’t compliant with the Real ID act.

Officials said Tuesday that people can still show a foreign passport or legal document confirming their identity in order to board a domestic flight in the U.S. come 2020. If they are unable to do so, a separate will put that traveler on the phone with an agent “who verifies your identity by asking questions only you know the answer to,” Fuller said.

-- Andrew Theen

atheen@oregonian.com

503-294-4026

@andrewtheen

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