REAL ID Quick Guide

REAL ID is a federal law that affects how states issue driver's licenses and ID cards if they are going to be acceptable for federal purposes, such as boarding a domestic commercial flight, or entering a military installation or federal facility that requires ID.

Beginning October 1, 2021, Pennsylvanians will need a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license, photo ID card, or another form of federally-acceptable identification (such as a valid passport or military ID) to board a domestic commercial flight or enter a federal building or military installation that requires ID.

PennDOT does not have a process by which customers can pre-scan and upload REAL ID documents from home. In order to get a REAL ID, you must bring your documents to one of our Driver Licensing Centers for verification in person. For the safety of our customers’ identities, PennDOT will never ask for nor accept any identity documents over the internet for any reason. Any website claiming to provide this service is not affiliated with PennDOT. As such, customers should not submit any images of personal documents to such websites as they will not be transmitted to PennDOT and could be used for fraudulent purposes. Through our website, customers may apply for pre-verification if their documents are already on file with PennDOT, however, this process will not ask you to scan and upload documents.