1 week Ago
As I waited for my number to be called Monday at the BMV branch in Valparaiso, I looked at my license to double check for that important star in the upper right corner. “A lot of people don’t realize they already have the star, but we’re seeing some people who don’t have it yet,” a BMV worker told me when my turn came. Starting May 7, you'll need a Real ID or another accepted document to board commercial flights or enter certain federal facilities.
After many years of warnings and recommendations from government agencies, Americans have just a couple of weeks to acquire Real ID-compliant documentation, which Indiana began issuing in 2010. Congress passed the Real ID Act legislation in 2005 in response to the 9/11 Commission's recommendation, with an initial deadline of 2008. But that deadline kept getting pushed back due to state government resistance, funding problems and the COVID-19 pandemic.
If your driver’s license doesn’t have a Real ID star or symbol, you’ll need to visit a BMV branch with original documents to prove your identity, state residency, Social Security number and other criteria. On Sunday, my driver’s license expired. On Monday morning, I searched for any needed documents to bring to the BMV: my passport, social security card, birth certificate, utility bill, among others.
I didn’t want to take any chances. It turns out I didn’t need any of those things except for my driver’s license. I acquired a Real ID years ago and forgot about it until last week when I heard from Lake Circuit Court Judge Marissa McDermott, whose courtroom is seeing an influx of people sorting through legal paperwork to acquire a Real ID.
“I am surprised how many people still either don't know about it or maybe think it's something they can fix very easily or very quickly, right before the May 7 deadline. But that might not be the case,” McDermott said. “This could be problematic for people who have to unexpectedly get on a plane to go to a funeral or a wedding or something like that.
” Some people, typically women, have changed their last name for marriage purposes, but then get divorced or remarried and need to find proper documentation to show those legal changes. “If you don't have the documents to back all that up, that could be a problem,” McDermott said. Other people may have birth certificates with misspellings, incomplete information, a missing hyphen, an incorrect middle name, or simple typos that can cause problems decades later.
Listen now and subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | RSS Feed | SoundStack | All Of Our Podcasts For example, a woman who showed up in McDermott’s courtroom had to track down her birth certificate in another state and it stated simply “Baby Girl” for her name. This caused obvious legal hassles to secure a Real ID. “It’s not like a name change can happen very quickly,” McDermott said.
“There is a whole process required for that, including a publication requirement. And if you don’t start this process soon enough, you could miss the May 7 deadline.” Older populations of people seem to have more problems, as well as people born in foreign countries or Puerto Rico, where names can be listed differently than in our country.
Some cases involve marriages that were conducted by priests in the Catholic Church decades ago that were never legally filed with the county. Or people using their confirmation name instead of their legal name. “It’s so common for there to be errors in old legal documents.
I see it almost on a daily basis,” McDermott said. “Or people who don’t understand why a Real ID is needed.” In 2018, I wrote about this topic and heard from dozens of readers who had no idea what a Real ID meant.
“What the heck is that?” asked Thaddeus Jones, then 74, of Gary. “I’ve been driving since I was 16. And I served in the military, including two tours in Vietnam.
After all I’ve done in my life, I gotta now prove who I am?” The Indiana BMV has said it’s important for Hoosiers to understand that upgrading to a Real ID will not only allow them to board commercial fights and enter federal buildings, but it also provides additional protection against identity theft. As May 7 approaches, courtrooms are expecting more filings to meet proper criteria for Real-ID compliant documentation. The Department of Homeland Security estimates that roughly two-thirds of ID-holders have Real-ID compliant documentation, with some states and cities, including Chicago, rolling out "supercenters" to assist residents or hosting "Real ID Days" before the deadline.
A rush on Real ID appointments at BMV offices is causing delays in other states. Travelers without one or an acceptable alternative, such as a valid passport, will not be allowed through TSA checkpoints. (For more information, visit the TSA website or BMV site, or call the BMV at (888) 692-6841.
) “If any documentation needs to be done, they should get it started,” McDermott said. Lake County’s circuit court, similar to other counties, offers a self-help center for residents. Another resource is www.
indianalegalhelp.org . “The first thing people can do is make sure they have that star on their driver’s license,” McDermott said.
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