The Dunleavy administration has asked the federal government for an extension on the REAL ID deadline, due to the ongoing national emergency caused by the COVID virus outbreak.
The REAL ID law stipulates that on Oct. 1, 2020, all people will need a REAL ID-compliant identification, such as a REAL ID driver’s license or a U.S. passport, in order to board commercial flights, enter federal buildings or gain access to American nuclear plants.
In many parts of rural Alaska, people have not yet acted to bring their identification into compliance. The new Alaska driver’s license that is REAL ID compliant has certain design features that indicate the holder of the card has been verified by the state Division of Motor Vehicles.
Nationally, according to the Department of Homeland Security, only 95 million out of 276 million total drivers and ID cards met the Real ID standards, although many Americans hold passports, and those are considered REAL-ID compliant and may be used to get through the TSA checkpoints at airports.
No response has yet been received by the Department of Homeland Security, sources in the Administration said.
