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ADOT To Start Issuing Federally Compliant Licenses Next Spring

ABC15

The Arizona Department of Transportation says the federal Real ID will be available to residents of the state by next April. Eventually, all Americans will need federally compliant identification to enter airports and federal buildings. Arizona Public Radio’s Ryan Heinsius reports.

The Real ID Act was designed to prevent the use of fake identification after 9/11. It requires states to issue IDs that meet federal security standards. It also created national government databases to keep track of all state-issued IDs.

Arizona lawmakers excluded the state from the federal program out of privacy concerns. But earlier this year they passed a law that allows the public to obtain the IDs from ADOT on a voluntary basis.

Next year, without a Real ID, residents of many states will need a passport or other federal identification for all domestic flights. The Department of Homeland Security, however, will allow Arizonans to use their current state-issued IDs to fly until 2020.

Ryan Heinsius joined KNAU's newsroom as an executive producer in 2013 and became news director and managing editor in 2024. As a reporter, he has covered a broad range of stories from local, state and tribal politics to education, economy, energy and public lands issues, and frequently interviews internationally known and regional musicians. Ryan is an Edward R. Murrow Award winner and a Public Media Journalists Association Award winner, and a frequent contributor to NPR's Morning Edition, All Things Considered and national newscast.
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