Star Card campaign reminds people of 2020 deadline
Your normal routine at the airport security line may become a bummer if you don’t plan ahead. Something people all across America are preparing for.
“I don’t want someone to be ready to go on vacation, the second day of October 2020, and show up at the airport and not have the Star Card or their passport with them, and the next thing you know, TSA is not letting them on the airplane and that just ruined their vacation,” Bingham County Sheriff Craig Rowland said.
Flights, federal buildings and military bases will all be off-limits with a regular license come October 1, 2020. Instead, you’ll need another approved credential, like a passport, or you can get a Star Card, Idaho’s REAL ID.
“It is just absolutely critical that anyone who will be doing any of those things get your star card today,” Jennifer Gonzalez, a spokesperson for the Idaho Transportation Department, said.
You still have some time to get one, but as Gonzalez explained, obtaining a Star Card is a more in-depth process than a regular license renewal, and requires preparation you can find on the ITD website.
“Before you go to your county driver’s license office, please, use the ‘Add the star‘ tool because the documents that you might need may be different from your colleague or somebody else,” she said.
At a minimum, you’ll need proof of residency, identity and your Social Security number. Sheriff Rowland, who says he’s the only sheriff in the state authorized to issue a driver’s license, said the latter has caused some concern.
“So they haven’t probably seen their Social Security Card in 20 or 25 years, a lot of people. But don’t let that put you down. You can bring a W-2 in, as long as it has your name, your address and your Social Security number on it, that’ll work for your Social Security Card.”
As of Tuesday, nearly 15 percent of Idaho’s 1.25 million licensed drivers have made the switch.
“We want to see that number keep increasing, ” Gonzalez said. “October first, 2020, is going to be here before you know it.”
In an effort to reduce the expected last-minute rush, a state-wide awareness campaign featuring Idaho University mascots and Gov. Brad Little has been released. But Rowland still thinks people will wait until the last minute.
“I think that’s exactly what’s gonna happen. It’s gonna be a ton of people come in and say ‘I’m flying. What do I need? I need to get the Star Card.'”
The Star Card is not mandatory, but people will either need a REAL ID or another form of federally accepted ID starting next October.
Currently, 47 states are in compliance with the REAL ID Act. Only Oregon, Oklahoma and New Jersey are not. They are on extension status.
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