Deadline Looms To Make Oklahoma IDs Compliant With Federal REAL ID Act

Wednesday, September 30th 2015, 6:09 pm

By: Dana Hertneky

The days of being able to use your Oklahoma driver’s license to get into a federal building or board an airplane are getting dangerously close to being over.

As News 9 has reported, Oklahoma does not comply with the federal REAL ID Act.

Authorities with Will Rogers World Airport and the Department of Public Safety are hoping for an extension.

Without it, beginning October 10, you may not be able to use your Oklahoma driver's license to get into a federal building or military base, and then in 2016, you can't use your Oklahoma license to get on a plane either.

Right now, the thousands of Oklahomans who fly do exactly what Angela Kinley does to get through airport security.

“I use my driver’s license as my ID,” she said.

But the Oklahoma driver's license doesn't comply with federal standards. Back in 2005, Congress passed the REAL ID Act that would make it harder for terrorists to get fake ID's.

In 2007, Oklahoma passed a law forbidding compliance with the act.

“In order for us to become 100 percent complaint, it’s going to take a change in the law,” Oklahoma Highway Patrol Capt. Paul Timmons.

A bill that would have made Oklahoma compliant failed to make it through the legislature last session.

Which means those like Kinley, will likely soon need a passport, or other approved federal ID to fly.

“I don’t have a problem with it, I know it’s a time thing so I’m a little procrastinator so I’ll have to do better about that,” Kinley said.

It typically types 4 to 6 weeks to get a passport.