Minnesota REAL ID: Do You Really Need One By May 2025?

The deadline to get a REAL ID is coming up on May 7th, but will you actually *need* one to fly out of Minnesota?

We've been hearing about REAL IDs in the North Star State for a while now. Twenty years, to be exact. According to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety - Driver and Vehicle Services (MDPS-DVS), the REAL ID Act was first passed by Congress in 2005, as a response to the September 11th terror attacks.

But time is running out, and the deadline for when you'll need a REAL ID is now just a week away. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said May 7, 2025, is the date they will start enforcing the REAL ID Act, according to MDPS-DVS. But do you *need* to get a REAL ID?

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As we've been told, if you don't have a REAL ID as of May 7, 2025, you won't be able to board any domestic airline or go through security checkpoints at a U.S. airport, enter a U.S. military base, or enter federal buildings without an additional ID, like a passport. But that's not entirely true.

How do you know if you have a REAL ID? You can tell if you already have a REAL ID by the gold circle and star in the upper right corner of your Minnesota driver's license.

But what happens if you don't get a REAL ID? Well, as it turns out, you don't actually *need* to get a REAL ID. However, if you don't have a new REAL ID, you *will* need to possess another enhanced form of identification. Those could include a U.S. passport, U.S. passport card, or a DHS Trusted Traveler Card (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST) that have all been approved to use to head through TSA checkpoints at airports in the U.S. or to enter some federal buildings after May 7th, 2025.

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And then there's this nugget, courtesy of travel site Thrifty Traveler. They note that while the TSA is requiring enhanced IDs beginning in May, 'full enforcement' isn't set to start until 2027. And that even if you don't have a REAL or other enhanced ID, you *could* still be able to fly-- but it might take longer.

"Travelers who do not have a REAL ID-compliant state-issued credential or another acceptable form of ID can expect delays when they arrive at the TSA security checkpoint. The length of the delay will be determined by the number of other travelers who do not have a REAL ID-compliant credential," the TSA said in the Thrifty Traveler story.

If you DO want to obtain a Minnesota REAL ID, MDPS-DVS says the wait time is now around 45 days after applying, so it's already too late to get one before that May 7th deadline. To apply, however, you'll need the following things:

One document that proves your full legal name, date of birth, and legal presence (a passport works well).
Two different documents that show your current Minnesota residence address.
Know your Social Security Number (SSN).

MN DPS-DVS

And here are the steps MDPS-DVS says you should take to start the process toward getting your REAL ID here in Minnesota:

Start by filling out the pre-application information. (At the end of the pre-application, you can choose to have your documents reviewed before you visit an office.)
Bring your documents to an office that takes REAL ID applications.
Bring the appropriate fee.

A special note that while you can start filling out and uploading your pre-application information online, you *will* need to head to an MDPS-DVS office to actually apply for a REAL ID and complete the process.