DPS launches REAL ID website

The Department of Public Safety has launched a new website to help Oklahomans better understand how and why to get a REAL ID. The website can be found by going to realid.ok.gov or the DPS website, ok.gov/dps and clicking on the banner at the top of the main page.

Oklahomans will find a wealth of information on the site including a quiz that can be taken to determine if you need a REAL ID or not. The most common example of someone who will want one is someone who flies domestically and does not have a passport.

If you determine you do want a REAL ID, there is a checklist on the website to help get all the documents in order that you will need to obtain the REAL ID. Citizens must have proof of identity (like a passport or certified birth certificate), proof of social security (like a social security card or W2) and two proofs of residency (like a mortgage or lease agreement or utility bill.) Anyone who has had a name change for reasons like marriage, divorce or adoption will need to bring in proof of that name change. The checklist contains a complete list of acceptable documents. There are also links to obtain copies of your birth certificate or social security card if you don’t already have those.

DPS has issued approximately 265 REAL IDs so far as part of the pilot production phase. The agency is on target to begin issuing REAL ID to the public on July 1 at the main DPS location at 3600 N. Martin Luther King Avenue in Oklahoma City. Issuance will then spread to other DPS locations and tag agencies in Oklahoma City, Edmond and Tulsa and eventually the entire state by the end of October. The new website will be updated with available locations as they begin issuing REAL ID.

Citizens can also find prices for REAL ID and a list of Frequently Asked Questions on the new website. It is important to note that Oklahomans are not required to get a REAL ID. Everyone will have the option of getting a REAL ID compliant Driver License or Identification Card or a non-compliant one. Oklahomans who choose the non-compliant need to have alternative forms of ID to board a domestic flight or enter a federal facility.

The Department of Homeland Security pushed back the federal deadline for REAL ID in response to the COVID-19 pandemic from October 1 of 2020 to October 1 of 2021. This means Oklahomans can continue to use their regular Oklahoma Driver license to board an airplane to fly domestically or enter federal facilities until October of next year.