CDTraveler

It also involves getting a different category of appointment, unless you enjoy 3 hour long lines, and last time I checked the online system, the wait for that category of appointment was much longer than for a regular license. My kid tried to get a non-driver REAL-ID and because he'd booked the wrong type of appointment, he was not allowed to get the REAL-ID, only a regular one

gaobest

For now, I can renew online. I wish to NOT go to dmv. Last time I went for REAL ID appointment, I was told that I’d have to give up my CDL while waiting for the REAL ID. I had an expired passport which meant that I’d have zero non-expired ID so I chose to postpone getting REAL ID. Plus I did have a set appointment except that I still had to wait 30-45 minutes after arriving for the appointment. Thus I prefer to NOT GO to the dmv so if I can renew my cdl online then yes that’s what I’ll be doing!

dmv can be very specific with their rules. Mostly we get little chance for fixing something if we fill out the wrong box on the form. Yet overall I prefer to avoid DMV :-)

gaobest

Just renewed my CA DL on my phone. Glad it’s done. Definitely beats going to dmv in order to seek a REAL ID

after I get annoyed with carrying a passport for flying in 2025 or whenever then at that time I can do the work to get REAL ID.

I used my bank to pay the DL renewal instead of paying $0.80 fee in order to use a credit card. I’m going to ponder this swap for months. Last time I paid property tax I used my bank account instead of the $100 or whatever for the credit card. I’m trying to avoid credit card fees when I’m aware of them (I can’t always catch it ahead of time at a grocer or eatery).

der_saeufer

Exactly. If you own your home and your name is on the power bill, it's pretty easy other than waiting at the DMV. But if you live with friends, family, roommates, etc. and don't have your name on the paperwork, it can be a real pain in some states depending on what documents they accept. And if you don't have a fixed place of residence at all, whether that's because you're a digital nomad, a full-time travel nurse, homeless, etc., forget it.

For a lot of Americans living overseas, it's difficult or impossible to meet the state residency requirement for REAL ID, so for those of us who were last resident in a state where REAL ID is not optional, it can result in losing your American driver's license altogether. Ever tried to rent a car at DSM as a native American English speaker with an Egyptian license? And the REAL ID is useless anyway since we all have passports already.

REAL ID also mandates that licenses are valid for no more than 8 years. I have decades left on my license so there's zero chance I'm going to get in line for a REAL ID.

GUWonder

…. before bringing all those documents, a person has to acquire or recover — not always without its own costs to get, recover and/or update — those documents and then hope that the local DL-issuing authority’s employees accept them at first visit in-person. Meeting the requirements to get a REAL ID state DL generally involves more hoops than getting/keeping a non-REAL ID state DL.

The point of REAL ID was to put in place additional hoops — over the previous requirements — to issue “acceptable” photo ID by driving the states to weed out some people from being able to get “acceptable” US-issued photo ID from the states and to thereby make identity and identity documentation control and tracking easier/more accurate. Did it really fail to do that? Unfortunately, not enough.

Brighton Line

I got my NYS Real ID by going to the local AAA office, yah you have to be a member but there was no wait, they took the picture. The only issue was that after some 50-odd years of not having my middle name on the license, they said since my birth certificate had a middle name it had to go on the driver's license. I do believe I used my BC to get my learner's permit guess its a Real ID thing.

gaobest

I have a AAA membership (mainly as tow truck / car help insurance) and don’t yet know if they’ll do Real ID in California. I definitely would prefer AAA office over dmv office. If I get fed up with carrying a passport for tsa pre then at that point ideally AAA in CA can offer this service.

as for your birth certificate, I’ll assume that our previous driver license staff didn’t need to include the middle name. Standards used to be looser for certain legal documents :-)

TWA884

AAA offices in California handle car registration issues and renewals, and ownership transfers, however, they do not issue or renew of driver's licenses

SPN Lifer

I have had a driver's license issued pursuant to the REAL ID Act in CA, NV, and now MP (the CNMI, see my profile).

As a renter, whose spouse and young adult sons were on the lease, we had no problems with the required documentation of our abode and SSNs.

Otherwise, it was not much more onerous than an initial passport application. It is good to have that out of the way.

I do empathize with those for whom these requirements are unduly burdensome or impossible. Some people have no choice but to get non-compliant ID.

gaobest

I got my cdl by mail and loved that convenience - it’s now at least 4 years since I went to dmv. I truly prefer to avoid going to dmv. Let’s see how I feel after I bring a passport for travel. At least I have 18++ months before I consider that situation!

bummer. Good to know. I suppose that makes dmv lines look long when there’s zero alternative for an in-person appointment!