What You Need To Know About Those Minnesota REAL ID’s

Despite the fact that they couldn't pass a state budget, lawmakers in St. Paul DID finally pass that REAL ID bill that will bring Minnesota drivers licenses up to new federal standards. So what do YOU have to do?

We'd heard for months how Minnesota was one of the last states to upgrade our state ID's to these new federal standards, and how the state was facing a January, 2018 deadline, at which time we'd need those new ID's to board a plane, even for domestic flights.

So, say you're planning a trip for next winter? Do you have to get a new drivers license before then? Will our current ID's still be valid?

Well, thanks to a post on the Minnesota Department of Public Safety's Facebook page, here's what we have to do. Which is... nothing.

That's right. Check it out. According to the post...

• A REAL ID compliant drivers license won’t be available until next year, so there is nothing for drivers license holders to do at this time.
• There is no need to get a new license unless it’s time to renew an expiring license.
• Minnesotans can continue to use their current driver’s license as a form of identification to board domestic flights until Jan. 22, 2018.
• The state is now able to seek an extension from the federal government that would allow current Minnesota licenses to be accepted after January 2018.

So, whew! That's good news-- especially if you just had to renew your driver's license (like I did last fall). It's just kinda ridiculous that state lawmakers held out this long, and finally went ahead and fell in line anyway. At least they didn't cause us an extra hassle of having to get a special ID!