BALTIMORE — Congress implemented the real ID program for safety after 911. A year from now, on May 3rd, 2023, you will need a real ID to board a plane at BWI or any airport in the US.
"If you do not have an acceptable identification you will not be able to fly," said Jim Ports, Department of Transportation.
Ports is the secretary of the Department of Transportation. Ports tells us all Marylanders 18 or over will be required to have this.
To become real ID compliant you must make an appointment at an MVA office and bring the proper documents.
"To be real ID compliant every Marylander is required to have one proof of your age or identity, one proof of Social Security number and two documents that prove you're a Maryland resident," said Ports.
Those two documents would be something like a utility bill or a vehicle registration that shows where you live. The MVA and TSA websites have the information. We know the MVA can be very frustrating so they recommend don't wait till the last minute to try to do this.
"Sometimes hospitals issue birth certificates that are not an official document so, that's a great reason why you need to start early," said Cristine Nizer, MDOT MVA.
So far they have processed more than four million real IDs. They tell us there are a half million Marylanders that still need to change over.
