REAL ID: What Californians need to know about new driver's licenses Soon, you may need to head to your local DMW before taking a flight

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Californians will soon have to first head to their local Department of Motor Vehicles offices if they want to board a commercial flight.

Beginning Oct. 1, 2020, U.S. residents boarding planes using a driver's license or ID card will be required to use one that is compliant with the federal REAL ID act, which was passed in 2005 in the wake of the 9/11 terror attacks.

Twenty-eight states already comply with REAL ID, but California, which was granted a temporary waiver, will not begin processing applications until 2018.

The California DMV will begin providing REAL ID-compliant identification beginning on Jan. 22, 2018, but the IDs will not be required by the Transportation Security Administration until 2020.

To get a REAL ID, people must show up at the DMV with the following documents:

Provide proof of identity, such as a U.S. birth certificate, U.S. passport, employment authorization document, permanent resident card or foreign passport with an approved form I-94. Show a California residency document. Present proof of your Social Security number.

If travelers do not have identification compliant with REAL ID, they will still be able to board a plane with a valid U.S. passport, passport card, military ID, or another form of Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) approved identification.

Since the rules don't go into effect until October of 2020, there's no need to rush to the DMV.

The REAL ID compliant cards are not needed for driving, voting, applying for or receiving federal benefits, visiting a hospital or receiving life-saving services, or entering a federal facility that doesn't require ID.

For more info, contact the DMV or the TSA.