Are you ready to drive and travel with a Real ID?
An estimated 84 percent of O‘ahu motorists now have a travel-compliant Real ID driver’s license to board a domestic flight.
Of the 638,026 state-issued driver’s licenses in the City and County of Honolulu, 533,287 have secured Real ID status with the small star inside a gold circle in the upper right hand corner.
Put another way, only about 16 percent of driver’s licenses on O‘ahu are not ready for the full implementation of the Real ID Act, set to take effect at U.S. airports on May 3, 2023, when every air traveler 18 years of age and older will need a Real ID-compliant driver’s license or another TSA-acceptable form of identification at airport security checkpoints.
The original enforcement date was set for Oct. 1, 2020. But federal, state and local response to the ongoing pandemic warranted extending the Real ID full enforcement date to May 3, 2023.
“We have benefitted from the extra time our driver licensing operations have had to ensure residents can obtain credentials that meet enhanced security standards,” said Nola Miyasaki, director of the city’s Department of Customer Services. “We are also extremely encouraged that a significant number of residents are ready for the full implementation of the federal law requiring people to have a Real ID in order to board domestic flights and enter some federal buildings.”
Appointments for obtaining a Real ID-compliant driver’s license can be scheduled here.
The Kapālama Driver Licensing Center and the Kapolei Driver Licensing Center will take customers with appointments or on standby for all services — except a road test — from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays.
The Windward City, Pearlridge and Downtown satellite city halls are also open on Saturdays for customers who need to renew driver’s licenses, learner’s permits or state identification cards.
Stand-by service is available to customers who cannot get an appointment at a driver licensing center or satellite city hall, but same-day service is not guaranteed. Stand-by service is offered to offset customer cancellations and an estimated 30 percent no-show rate.
For more information on office locations and hours, visit here.
