Safe In 60: Make Sure You Have A REAL ID Before Oct. 1
Jan 27, 2020, 7:15 AM | Updated: 7:42 am
DRAPER, Utah – Beginning Oct. 1, you must have a gold star on your driver’s license or identification card in order to board a plane or enter a federal building, courthouse or military base. The federal government passed the REAL ID Act in 2005, which set minimum security standards for state issued forms of identification, and prohibits federal agencies from accepting identification that doesn’t meet the standards.
You’ll know your license meets the requirement if it includes a gold star.
Utah began mailing out new licenses and ID cards in February of 2019. If your ID or driver’s license expires AFTER October 2020, you should have already received, or you will receive a new gold star card in the mail before October 1.
If your ID or driver’s license expires BEFORE October 1, you will receive it during the regular renewal process.
If you haven’t received your gold star license yet, you can check the status of your new ID by visiting this website and entering your driver’s license number and date it was issued.
If you have moved since your last license was issued, you could be one of the 76,000 Utahns who has changed address and hasn’t updated the Driver License Division, and they simply cannot find you.
You can update your address online or call 801-965-4437.
The Driver License Division and Division of Motor Vehicles do not share information so you will need to change your address with them separately.
Remember it can take several weeks to receive your new license so give yourself some extra time if you have any trips scheduled close to October 1.
If you have any questions regarding your ID or driver’s license you can go to the Driver License Division website to view educational videos, instructions on how to update your address, and frequently asked questions about the Real ID process. The Utah Department of Public Safety also produced an informative video about the process.
