From the Arkansas Advocate:
State driver’s license offices in five Arkansas cities will be open Saturday to accommodate demand for REAL IDs, which will be required for all Americans to board flights or enter certain federal buildings starting May 7, the department announced Tuesday.
REAL IDs are signified by a gold star on a driver’s license or state-issued ID cards. The Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration has issued roughly 140,000 REAL IDs since Jan. 1, including 52,000 in March, bringing the statewide total to roughly 800,000, Secretary Jim Hudson said in a news conference.
All 134 DMVs statewide can issue REAL IDs in person, Hudson said.
The five offices open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday will be in Little Rock, Fayetteville, Jonesboro, Texarkana and Monticello, according to a news release.
“We will only be issuing REAL IDs in those offices this Saturday so we can focus on serving those customers who have the greatest need for it, particularly if you plan to travel in the coming future,” Hudson said. “…I don’t want anybody going to the airport and getting turned away and having their travel plans frustrated because you don’t have a REAL ID.”
Appointments for Saturday are recommended but not required, and people can schedule appointments on the finance department website.
REAL IDs began with a law passed by Congress in 2005 as a response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Instituting REAL IDs statewide “will help fight terrorism and reduce identity fraud,” according to the finance department website.
Applicants for REAL IDs need to pay a $40 fee and provide the finance department with four different forms of identification:
- A current driver’s license, state-issued ID, or school or work ID as proof of identity
- A passport or birth certificate as proof of legal presence in the United States
- A government-issued social security card
- Two documents providing proof of address, such as utility bills or bank statements, issued within the last six months
The documents “all have to sync up,” making the process more secure than the one to apply for a regular driver’s license because it’s difficult to falsify all four documents, Hudson said.
Individuals who have legally changed their names will need to provide proof of doing so, such as a marriage license or divorce decree, according to the finance department.
Arkansans should remember that obtaining a social security card “may take a little bit of time” since the federal government must deliver it to the requester via snail mail, state revenue commissioner Charlie Collins said at the news conference.
The federal Transportation Security Administration accepts passports in place of REAL IDs as identification to board a flight, but federal buildings under the jurisdiction of other agencies, such as courthouses and nuclear power facilities, might have different ID requirements for entry, Hudson said.
The finance department has been focused “on making the REAL ID process as smooth, convenient and accessible to Arkansans as it can possibly be made,” including by providing REAL IDs the day they are requested instead of mailing them to applicants weeks later, Collins said.
He added that about 20,000 Arkansans have opted into the finance department’s new option for a digital driver’s license, which also functions as a REAL ID if someone has provided the proper documentation.
Additionally, Arkansans can choose whether to renew their driver’s licenses for an additional fee while obtaining a REAL ID if the license has not yet expired, Hudson said.
