TUKWILA, Wash. – With the REAL ID deadline next week, licensing offices across the state are working through record demand for the license and ID cards that can get travelers through airport security.
Under the REAL ID Act of 2005, state-issued licenses and IDs have to meet specific standards in order to be used for getting on planes or into certain federal facilities. In Washington, the “enhanced driver license” and “enhanced identification card” meet the REAL ID standards. Enforcement of the act begins on May 7.
“Last month in March, we had a record of how many people tried to get an enhanced driver’s license,” said Thomas Charlson, spokesperson with the state Department of Licensing. “About nearly 58,000 people got their first-time enhanced driver’s license and ID card.”
Charlson said with that record demand across Washington ahead of the deadline, many DOL offices are seeing licensing appointments booked out weeks in advance.
“We allow appointments in the Puget Sound area to be booked about 45 to 60 days out, and they’re pretty much all booked until June,” he said, noting the appointment experience varies by region.
One woman visiting the licensing office in Tukwila Wednesday morning drove over 30 miles for an appointment to get her enhanced license.
“About a month ago, I went to get an appointment and I couldn’t find anything remotely close to me in Pierce County,” said Lois Ball, who lives in Orting. “So I decided I’d try in King County and found one in Tukwila.
That is right, she had to wait a month just to get an appointment in a different county.
While it varies across the state, Charlston said people walking into Puget Sound area offices without an appointment are experiencing up to an hour-long wait. At the Tukwila office, visitors who walked in around 10 a.m. Wednesday reported waiting 30 to 45 minutes.
“I’m so glad I got an appointment because it literally took five minutes, and the room is full in here and I don’t think they had an appointment,” Ball said.
According to Charlston, the department is doing the best they can to get people through offices, but it has been complicated by limited staffing because of budget cuts in 2023.
While things will be busy for the foreseeable future, he said people can always use a passport, tribal ID or other acceptable document to get through airport security. They are also encouraged to avoid going to an office by using online DOL services for certain license renewals and changes of address.
But if you want to get an enhanced license or ID now, you can always search for an appointment or walk in. You just have to be ready to wait, and be ready with the right documents. And on top of that, cards can take 7-10 business days to arrive in the mail.
Albert James is a television reporter covering state government as part of the Murrow News Fellowship program – a collaborative effort between news outlets statewide and Washington State University.
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