By Allison Pohle

A May 7 deadline to get a REAL ID is getting a lot more real -- and setting off a mad scramble for U.S. travelers who have yet to get one.

Travelers will need a REAL ID-upgraded driver's license, identification card or another compliant ID, like a passport, to board domestic flights starting on that date. Despite years of previous delays, federal officials say travelers need to take the May 7 date seriously. At Department of Motor Vehicles sites across the country, it appears many are.

Local DMV offices have added hundreds of appointment slots and extended operating hours to meet the flood of Americans trying to get an upgraded ID in time. From Tennessee to Pennsylvania, people report waiting hours in lines that stretch down city blocks or wrap around buildings. Some have flocked to Facebook groups and other social-media forums to strategize on where to find the least-crowded DMV locations. Others are just venting.

"The whole state is booked!" one Facebook user in New Jersey wrote. "What are my options?" another asked on Reddit, worried about how to fly a son home after his college semester. Some who couldn't get DMV appointments until the summer, meanwhile, are pleading on local chat sites for alerts to any cancellations for earlier slots.

This month, the Miami-Dade County tax collector's office said it discovered a network of scalpers hoarding free driver's license appointments and reselling them for a profit.

About one in five travelers currently flying through U.S. airports doesn't have a REAL ID or other compliant form of identification, according to Transportation Security Administration officials. That's despite the requirement being in the works for decades and states issuing REAL IDs since the 2010s.

One reason many haven't gotten one yet is that the federal government pushed the enforcement deadline back three times during the pandemic. Some travelers assumed that would happen yet again. Most states, including California and New York, have continued to issue standard licenses along with REAL IDs, which meant some people didn't upgrade their IDs when it came time to renew.

Mixed messaging

Signs at airports urge travelers to get "REAL ID ready" and the Department of Homeland Security's website has a real-time countdown to the May 7 date. Yet some states facing overwhelming demand have taken a different approach.

"Don't Rush the Date. Real ID Can Wait," reads a banner on the Illinois Secretary of State's website. Illinois has added "DMV REAL ID Saturdays" and a walk-in supercenter in Chicago to handle the influx of requests. Yet a state website reminds people that the "May 7 date is NOT a final deadline and everyone can travel with a valid U.S. Passport."

Chicago resident Kimberley Goode knew her passport would work for domestic travel, but decided to stop by the supercenter last week around 8:15 a.m. The semiretired corporate adviser says the line stretched longer than a city block, with at least 80 people waiting.

She left and came back, only to see the line hadn't moved very much. She decided to forgo the REAL ID and travel with her passport for now.

"I opted to just go and be productive in other ways, rather than using all that time," she said.

The percentage of REAL-ID-compliant licenses varies widely by state. In Texas, which only offers REAL IDs, 98% of driver's licenses and IDs are REAL ID-compliant, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Pennsylvania, on the other hand, issues more than one type of license and has a 25.6% opt-in rate for REAL ID, according to the state's Transportation Department. The state is adding hours for REAL IDs on some Mondays to meet increased demand, a spokeswoman said.

George Frole, 68, managed to get his REAL ID in New Jersey this month after booking the appointment in January. He had tried for one a year and a half ago, but found himself short of all the necessary identification documents when he got to the DMV. So he got a standard license instead.

This time he came nervously armed with his passport, driver's license, bank statement and debit card -- and triple checked their accuracy before he left for the appointment. After taking his photo, the attendant suggested a redo: "You look a little tense," she told him.

His ID is supposed to arrive in the mail in about two weeks.

What to know

   -- People aged 18 and older need a REAL ID-compliant document if they plan 
      to fly domestically on a commercial flight, enter certain federal 
      buildings or enter a nuclear power plant. 
 
   -- Licenses that are compliant have markings at the top of the card, often a 
      gold star. 
 
   -- If you don't have a REAL ID, you should bring a valid passport or other 
      acceptable form of ID to your domestic flights starting May 7. 
 
   -- Some AAA branches, such as those in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, can 
      process REAL ID applications for members through a partnership with local 
      DMVs. 

Write to Allison Pohle at allison.pohle@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 30, 2025 07:00 ET (11:00 GMT)

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