Wisconsin Lags On Federal ID Card Phase-In

Wisconsin drivers have been slow to embrace a new type of identification card known as Real ID, but the licenses, which meet new federal standards, will eventually be needed to board a plane.

Only 21 percent of Wisconsin residents have obtained Real ID licenses and ID cards since 2013, when they began being slowly phased in. Next year, the Department of Homeland Security will officially begin requiring Real ID cards to fly in the United States.

But Wisconsin Department of Motor Vehicles Deputy Administrator Kristina Boardman said not to worry because the state has received an extension from the federal mandate until 2020.

“I think that’s part of the reason that we don’t have a lot of people doing it, is they don’t see any consequences either way of having the product,” Boardman said.

Boardman said those renewing now need to choose whether they want a Real ID or not. The cost is the same, but extra documentation is needed to get a Real ID license.