Thousands of Oregonians book appointments as REAL ID deadline approaches May 7

By BRYCE DOYLE/Oregon Public Broadcasting

Oregonians without a passport have one month left before they will need a REAL ID to board a plane in the United States.

State transportation officials said Monday that more than 1.3 million Oregonians have so far acquired a REAL ID in the nearly five years since the state first started issuing them. Every traveler over the age of 18 must have a REAL ID, passport or other federally approved form of identification to board a domestic flight May 7.

In all, 17,660 REAL IDs were issued last week, compared to nearly 6,500 that were issued in the same week last year, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation. The number of weekly appointments has risen steadily since December.

“As the May 7 enforcement date approaches, we’re seeing long lines and appointments can be hard to come by,” Amy Joyce, an administrator with the Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles, said in a news release.

The DMV has opened up “hundreds more appointments” to accommodate increased demand, but those “are booked out far in advance,” agency spokesperson Chris Crabb said in an email Monday.

Crabb added that the appointments “are released 30 days out each morning, so if one isn’t available, check back often.”

Oregonians can make an appointment online to get a REAL ID or walk into any DMV without an appointment. They will need to bring original documents with proof of identity, U.S. citizenship, birthday and two different sources proving your state address to an Oregon Driver and Motor Vehicles office.

To avoid delays at the Transportation Security Administration checkpoint, travelers will need a REAL ID card — which has a star in the upper right corner — or another acceptable form of identification. Those other forms of identification include:

• Any government-issued passport.
• A Department of Homeland Security Trusted Traveler card including a Global Entry or SENTRI card.
• An active duty and retired military ID including IDs issued to dependents.
• An ID card issued by any of Oregon’s nine federally recognized tribes.
• A Transportation Worker Identification Credential.

Oregonians will initially receive a temporary paper REAL ID card, but TSA won’t accept that. People could wait up to three weeks to receive a REAL ID card in the mail.

“We encourage travelers to spend a few minutes now to determine if they are prepared for the federal enforcement of REAL ID,” said TSA federal security director for Oregon Kathleen McDonald.

A REAL ID card costs an additional $30 each time a person applies for an original, renewal or replacement driver’s license, permit or ID. The license or ID card is valid for up to eight years.

• This story originally appeared April 7, 2025 on Oregon Public Broadcasting.