Avoca, PA (January 16, 2019) – Will you need a REAL ID for air travel? Get an early start on the verification process and eliminate your trip to a PennDOT Driver’s License Center by visiting the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport (AVP) on Thursday, January 17, 2019.
AVP is hosting its second of three times to visit the REAL ID Mobile Verification Unit (also known as a REAL ID Pop-Up), which allows Pennsylvania residents to pre-verify for REAL ID without visiting a PennDOT Driver License Center. PennDOT staff will scan the required documents to a particular driver’s record and mark it as “REAL ID Eligible.” The REAL ID Mobile Verification Unit is scheduled for Thursday, January 17, 2019 from 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM in the Terminal Building, Main Level.
In case you’ve forgotten, getting a REAL ID is required by law, at least if you plan to fly or enter federal facilities. Beginning October 1, 2020, Pennsylvania residents who are flying (or who are visiting federal facilities) will be required to show either a valid passport or REAL ID.
You will still need a valid passport for international travel, and you also can use your passport in place of REAL ID to board a domestic flight.
“AVP is committed to ensuring our passengers understand the importance of REAL ID and making the resources available before it becomes mandatory for air travel in October 2020,” said Carl R. Beardsley, Jr., AVP Executive Director. “Unlike a passport, people usually carry their driver’s license in their wallet or purse, and REAL ID will be just as convenient to carry.”
REAL ID cards, mandated by Congress, are encrypted with multiple safeguards and can’t be fraudulently reproduced.
Once REAL ID’s are available in March 2019, Pennsylvania residents can apply for their REAL ID online, pay the applicable fees, and it will be mailed to them directly within ten (10) business days. PennDOT is required to verify original versions or certified copies of the documents listed below:
- Proof of Identity – Examples: Original or certified copy of a birth certificate with raised seal; valid U.S. Passport or Passport Card, etc.
- Proof of Social Security Number – Original social security card (cannot be laminated or sealed in plastic)
- Proof of PA Residency (TWOdocuments) – Examples: Current, unexpired PA driver’s license or photo ID card, No more than 90-day-old bank statement or utility bill with the same name and address, W-2 Form, etc.
- Proof of all Legal Name Changes – Examples: Marriage certificate or court order issued by your county’s family court, etc.