The newest requirement for a driver’s license is federal: as of May 7, 2025, the Transportation Security Administration enforces the REAL ID Act at airport checkpoints and most federal facilities, so a license without the small star marking in the upper-right corner will no longer get you onto a domestic flight.1Transportation Security Administration. REAL ID Everything else about getting a license still runs through your state motor vehicle agency, which means proving who you are with specific documents, passing a knowledge exam and vision screening, and taking a road test if you’re a new driver.
What REAL ID Enforcement Changed
REAL ID set federal standards for the licenses and ID cards states issue, and those standards now control whether your card works for “official purposes”: boarding a commercial flight, entering a federal building, or accessing a military installation or nuclear power plant.2U.S. Government Publishing Office. REAL ID Act of 2005 A compliant card carries a star in the upper-right corner. A card without the star is still valid for driving and for state-level uses such as voting or banking, but federal agencies will not accept it.3USAGov. How to Get a REAL ID and Use It for Travel
States still issue standard, non-compliant licenses for people who don’t need federal access, and federal regulations require those cards to say on their face that they aren’t acceptable for federal purposes and to look visually distinct from compliant ones.4eCFR. 6 CFR Part 37 – Real ID Drivers Licenses and Identification Cards If you don’t fly and don’t visit federal buildings, you can keep what you have. If you do, you need the star, a passport, or one of the other federally accepted documents.
Documents You Need for a REAL ID-Compliant License
Federal regulation spells out four document categories, and every state motor vehicle office follows them. Show up missing one and you’ll be turned away. You’ll also sign a declaration under penalty of perjury that the information you’ve provided is true.4eCFR. 6 CFR Part 37 – Real ID Drivers Licenses and Identification Cards
Proof of Identity and Date of Birth
Bring one original or certified document. A valid U.S. passport works. A certified copy of your birth certificate from a state or local vital records office works. So does a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, a Certificate of Naturalization, or a Certificate of Citizenship.4eCFR. 6 CFR Part 37 – Real ID Drivers Licenses and Identification Cards Photocopies, scans, and notarized copies don’t count.
If you’ve lost your birth certificate, order a replacement from the vital records office in your state of birth. Fees usually run around $15 to $30, and delivery can take several weeks, so start early.
Proof of Your Social Security Number
Your Social Security card is the simplest option, but most states also accept a W-2, a 1099, or a pay stub that shows your full nine-digit number.2U.S. Government Publishing Office. REAL ID Act of 2005 The name on this document must match your identity document; if it doesn’t, you’ll need legal proof of the name change.
If you’re not eligible for a Social Security number, visit a Social Security Administration office and request a letter confirming ineligibility. That letter substitutes for the SSN requirement at the counter.
Two Proofs of Your Residential Address
Bring two separate documents showing your name and the physical address where you live.2U.S. Government Publishing Office. REAL ID Act of 2005 Utility bills, bank statements, mortgage or lease agreements, insurance policies, property tax records, and government mail all qualify in most states. P.O. boxes don’t. States set their own rules on how recent each document must be, so check your motor vehicle agency’s website before your appointment.
Name Change Documentation
If your current legal name doesn’t match the name on your birth certificate or passport, bring documentation for every change in the chain. A certified marriage certificate, a court-issued name change order, or a divorce decree showing a restored name are the usual bridging documents. This is where applications fail most often. Two marriages means both marriage certificates plus the divorce decree, not just the most recent paper.
If You Can’t Get a REAL ID Before You Fly
TSA accepts about two dozen other documents at the checkpoint. The most common fallbacks are a U.S. passport or passport card, a DHS trusted traveler card (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, or FAST), a U.S. military ID including dependent IDs, a permanent resident card, an enhanced driver’s license from Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont, or Washington, a foreign passport, a federally recognized Tribal Nation photo ID, or a Transportation Worker Identification Credential.
If you forget your ID entirely, you aren’t automatically grounded. Starting February 1, 2026, TSA offers a verification service called ConfirmID for a $45 fee. If verification fails, you won’t be allowed through.5Transportation Security Administration. Acceptable Identification at the TSA Checkpoint
Tests for First-Time Applicants
If you’re applying for your first license rather than upgrading one you already hold, expect three tests. Renewals and REAL ID upgrades usually skip the knowledge and road tests, but the vision screening applies to nearly everyone.
Written Knowledge Exam
The exam covers traffic laws, road signs, right-of-way rules, and safe driving practices. Most states give between 20 and 50 multiple-choice questions and require roughly 80% to pass. Every question comes from the state driver handbook, which is free online from every motor vehicle agency. Some states offer the test in multiple languages or orally for applicants with reading difficulties. Fail it and most states let you retake after a short waiting period, often at no cost.
Vision Screening
You’ll look into a screening machine and read letters or numbers. The usual standard is 20/40 acuity or better in at least one eye, with or without corrective lenses. If you pass only while wearing glasses or contacts, your license will carry a corrective-lens restriction, which means wearing them every time you drive. Fail the screening and you may need a vision report from an eye doctor before a license can be issued.
Road Test
The behind-the-wheel exam checks whether you can safely operate a vehicle in traffic. Examiners score turns, lane changes, parking, stopping at intersections, and signal use. Running a red light, causing a collision, or forcing another driver to take evasive action is an automatic failure regardless of everything else on the sheet.
You have to bring the vehicle. It must be properly registered, insured, and in safe working order, and the examiner will check the basics before the test begins. A vehicle that fails inspection means no test that day. If you’re using a rental or borrowed car, confirm your state’s rules on what the owner must provide.
Drivers Under 18 and Graduated Licensing
Every state uses some form of graduated driver licensing with three stages: a learner’s permit, an intermediate or provisional license, and a full unrestricted license.6National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Graduated Driver Licensing Minimum ages vary, from as young as 14½ for a learner’s permit in some states to 17 for any license at all in others.
During the learner’s permit stage, a teen can only drive with a fully licensed adult in the passenger seat. Most states require a minimum holding period of several months and a set number of supervised practice hours before advancing. The intermediate stage allows unsupervised driving but with restrictions, most commonly a nighttime curfew and limits on teenage passengers in the vehicle.
Any applicant under 18 needs a parent or legal guardian to sign a consent form as part of the application. That signature often carries financial responsibility implications, meaning the parent may be liable for damages the minor causes while driving. The details depend on state law, but no state lets a minor apply alone.
Non-Citizen Applicants
Non-citizens with lawful immigration status can get a REAL ID-compliant license, but with conditions. Federal regulation caps the term of a temporary or limited-term license at the length of your authorized stay. If your immigration status has no set expiration, the license can be issued for a maximum of one year at a time.7eCFR. 6 CFR 37.21 – Temporary or Limited-Term Drivers Licenses and Identification Cards Permanent residents with a green card generally receive the same license term as citizens.
Along with the standard REAL ID documents, you’ll need immigration paperwork such as a Permanent Resident Card, an Employment Authorization Document, or a foreign passport with a valid visa and I-94 arrival record. The motor vehicle office verifies your status electronically through a federal system called SAVE, run by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.8U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. SAVE That check can take longer than the rest of the application, so plan for possible delays.
Renewal is not automatic. When your work permit or visa is extended, you have to visit the motor vehicle office in person with the updated paperwork for a new card.7eCFR. 6 CFR 37.21 – Temporary or Limited-Term Drivers Licenses and Identification Cards The limited-term license must clearly indicate on its face that it is temporary.
Mobile Driver’s Licenses
A growing number of states issue digital licenses that live on your phone. They follow an international technical standard that lets a verifier authenticate the credential electronically. As of 2026, roughly two dozen states and territories participate in TSA’s digital ID program, and mobile licenses are accepted at more than 250 TSA checkpoints nationwide.9Transportation Security Administration. Participating States and Eligible Digital IDs
One catch matters for travel: a mobile license used for federal purposes has to be based on a REAL ID-compliant physical card. A digital version of a non-compliant license will not get you through the checkpoint. TSA also recommends carrying a physical ID as a backup, since not every checkpoint or federal facility accepts digital credentials yet.9Transportation Security Administration. Participating States and Eligible Digital IDs
Fees, Temporary Permits, and Renewal
Licensing fees vary widely, but most first-time applicants pay somewhere between $20 and $65. Some states charge different amounts based on your age or the length of the license term. Upgrading a standard license to REAL ID may cost extra in some states; others treat it as a standard renewal at no additional charge.
Once your application is approved, you’ll leave with a temporary paper permit that works as a valid license while your permanent card is manufactured at a centralized facility and mailed to your verified address. Delivery usually takes two to three weeks. Keep the paper permit on you the whole time. If the permanent card hasn’t arrived within a month, call your motor vehicle agency to confirm the mailing address on file and request a reissue.
Standard license terms run from four to eight years in most states, and a handful issue cards valid for up to 12 years. Many states let you renew online or by mail if nothing about your information has changed, though eventually you’ll need to appear in person for an updated photo and a new vision screening. If your license has been expired for an extended period, some states will make you retake the written and road tests rather than simply renew.