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New York DMV Urges Citizens to Apply for a Real ID New York DMV Urges Citizens to Apply for a Real ID

By Andrew Macbeath

Commissioner Schroeder at Hancock Airport.
© 2022 Andrew MacBeath

MARK SCHROEDER: “Do not delay! Do not delay.”

ANDREW MACBEATH: This simple request is the message of the New York Department of Motor Vehicles this fall. D-M-V Commissioner Mark (SHRO-der) paid a visit to Syracuse Hancock International Airport to deliver some important news.

SCHROEDER: “The federal government is giving you until May third of 2023 to be Real I-D compliant.”

MACBEATH: The requirement to possess a Real ID or equivalent for domestic air travel will be enforced nationwide including at Hancock Airport. Without valid ID after the deadline, people will be turned away from flights by TSA. Marketing specialist at Hancock Airport Matt (SHWEP-ka) states that this federal requirement is an effort to make things more efficient and safer for the whole country.

MATT SZWEJBKA: “So the rationale is you increase your security when you have a standardized method of issuing and a standardized process that you go through across the country, and not this patchwork that we currently have from state to state.”

MACBEATH: Commissioner Schroeder continues to push this message to the residents of Central new York, from Albany to Binghamton to Buffalo and here in Syracuse, making sure that people know exactly what to bring for one stop at the D-M-V to get their proper identification.

SCHROEDER: So, if you want to visit Grandma in Fort Lauderdale after May third, 2023, please get your Real I-D or your E-D-L or make sure you have a valid passport.

MACBEATH: From Syracuse, Andrew MacBeath, N-C-C News.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — Starting on May 3, 2023, all travelers on domestic flights will be required to have a Real ID.

DMV Commissioner Mark Schroeder held a press conference in the main lobby of the Syracuse Hancock International Airport on Wednesday, where he encouraged the residents of Central New York to apply for their Real ID or equivalent sooner rather than later.

“The federal government is giving you until May third, 2023, to be Real ID compliant,” Schroeder said. “Today, you can go into a DMV office and apply for a Real ID or an Enhanced Driver’s License.”

The government has been trying to push the Real ID requirement for a few years, with the change first being announced in 2020. However, the global pandemic slowed air travel and license renewal, so the deadline was pushed back indefinitely.  Now that there is a set deadline, the specifics of the new requirement are laid out.

Without a Real ID, valid passport or Enhanced Driver’s License, travelers cannot board a domestic flight. An EDL can get a carrier across the border to and from Canada, Mexico and most Caribbean islands.

The change in identification is to create a consistent form of identification that can be used across the nation while remaining in a convenient, pocket-sized card. Marketing and Communications Specialist Matt Szwejbka understands this change and encourages frequent fliers to apply for their Real ID.

“The rationale is you increase your security when you have a standardized method of issuing and a standardized process that you go through across the country,” Szwejbka said.

Hancock Airport is preparing for this change, especially as the number of fliers coming out of Syracuse has risen past pre-pandemic levels.

“If more people than ever are traveling, that is more people than ever before that must need this Real ID form of identification,” said Szwejbka.

There is time to apply for a Real ID or EDL before the May 3 deadline, but Commissioner Schroeder is emphatically saying to not delay this process.

“We’re 189 days away,” Schroeder said. “We’re giving people notice; please consider what we are saying and look into having a proper license so you can take a trip.”

For more information on obtaining a Real ID and what you need to apply, visit the New York DMV website and visit here for the official document guide.

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