Real ID deadline extended in Maryland

GLEN BURNIE, Md. (FOX 5 DC) - The Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration has extended the June deadlines for drivers to make sure their licenses are Real ID compliant.

All drivers with June deadlines now have until July 3 to visit their local MVA with proper documents to update their license.

Real ID is part of a nationwide effort to help eliminate identity theft and fake IDs, but in Maryland, the rules are stricter than in some other states.

In Maryland, eventually, every driver has to have a Real ID. That means to have a valid license you have to show proof of identity, proof of social security and proof of address.

In Virginia, having a Real ID is optional, and in D.C., no one has to update their license until it expires.

In Maryland, you could have an unexpired license that has the star in the upper right corner that's supposed to show it's a Real ID, and still need to bring in those documents.

The state blames the Department of Homeland Security for changing Real ID requirements.

"They found us compliant back in 2011 based on the way we had implemented Real ID," said Chrissy Nizer, Administrator for the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration. "We were compliant at that time. It wasn't until Fall of 2017 that they communicated to us that we needed to modify our procedures."

Nizer said that as of right now, nearly a million Maryland drivers have the star on their license, but still don't have proper documents on file. If you miss the deadline to update your license, it will be recalled.

"If they don't provide the documents to us, and we take that recall action, it will be indicated on their driving record," Nizer said.

It means if police pull you over, your license will be taken away.

Different people have different deadlines to get their documents in. Use this online lookup tool to put in your license number and find if and when you need to take action.

The deadline everyone needs to know about, no matter where you live, is October 2020. That's when you won't be able to board an airplane using a license that's not Real ID compliant.