May 3, 2023 may still be a long time from now, but the Minnesota Department of Public Safety is reminding residents that May 3, 2023 is the date that REAL ID will take effect. REAL ID began as a requirement from Homeland Security and the 911 Commission that would require REAL ID or an enhanced license/state identification card to board domestic airplane flights or enter certain federal buildings. The original deadline was supposed to be in October 2021, but the deadline was extended to due to COVID-19 protocols.
There are specific documents that will be required to prove one’s identity. That link and several more can be found at https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/dvs/real-id/Pages/default.aspx.
It should be noted that REAL ID isn’t a requirement, but if one wants to fly or enter specific government facilities after May 3, 2023, a valid passport will be required without REAL ID or an enhanced license/state ID card. A driver’s license doesn’t need to be expiring to make the change to REAL ID, but as the deadline approaches, License Centers throughout the country are expected to be experiencing high-volume traffic among procrastinators.