Still need your Real ID? Plan before you go.
Starting Oct. 1, 2020, anyone who wants to fly domestically and doesn't have a valid U.S. passport must have a Real ID. That includes Illinois residents, which means a mandatory trip to an Illinois Secretary of State’s office.
Before you head to the nearby DMV, collect the following documents.
According to the Illinois Secretary of State, residents must bring documents in four categories: Group 1 includes proof of identity, date of birth and U.S. citizenship or lawful status; Group 2 includes full social security number; Group 3 includes residency; and Group 4 includes written signature.
Group 1 (Proof of Identity, Date of Birth and U.S. Citizenship or Lawful Status) requires one of the following documents:
- Certified copy of a birth certificate filed with a state office of vital statistics or equivalent agency in the individual’s state of birth
- U.S. passport or passport card
- Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA) issued by the U.S. Department of State, Form FS-240, Form DS-1350 or Form FS-545
- Certificate of Citizenship issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Form N-560 or Form N-561
- Certificate of Naturalization issued by DHS, Form N-550 or Form N-570
- Employment Authorization Document (EAD) issued by DHS, Form I-766 or Form I-688B
- Foreign passport with a valid U.S. visa affixed accompanied by the approved Form I-94 documenting the applicant’s most recent admittance to the United States
- Permanent Resident Card (Form I-551) issued by DHS or the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service
- REAL ID DL/ID card issued in compliance with the standards of Part 37 of Title 6 of the Code of Federal Regulations (pursuant to federal rule, this document alone is not sufficient to prove lawful status)
Group 2 (Full Social Security Number) requires one of the following documents:
- Social Security card
- W-2
- Pay stub or printed electronic deposit receipt bearing the applicant’s name and SSN
- SSA-1099 Form
- Non-SSA-1099 Form.
Group 3 (Residency) requires two of the following documents (Note: All documents must contain full residence address. A document listed in Group 1 or 2 that contains the full residence address is acceptable as proof of residency):
- Bank statement (dated within 90 days prior to application)
- Canceled check (dated within 90 days prior to application)
- Certified grade/high school or college/university transcript
- Credit card statement (dated within 90 days prior to application) Visa, Mastercard, American Express or Discover
- Credit report issued by Experian, Equifax or TransUnion (dated within 12 months prior to application).
- Deed/title, mortgage or rental/lease agreement.
- Insurance policy (homeowner's or renter's).
- Letter on official school letterhead (dated within 90 days prior to application).
- Medical claim or statement of benefits from private insurance company or public (government) agency (dated within 90 days prior to application).
- Pay stub or printed electronic deposit receipt.
- Official mail received from a state, county, city or village, or a federal government agency that includes first and last name of the applicant and complete current address. This may include, but is not limited to: Homestead Exemption receipt, Jury duty notice (issued within 90 days prior to application), Selective Service card, Social Security annual statement, Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) statement, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits statement.
- Pension or retirement statement.
- Report card from grade/high school or college/university.
- Tuition invoice or other official mail from a college/university (dated within 12 months prior to application).
- Utility bill — electric, water, refuse, phone (land or cell), cable or gas (issued within 90 days prior to application).
- Voter registration card
Group 4 (Written Signature) requires one of the following documents:
- Illinois DL/ID
- Temporary DL/ID or commercial learner’s permit
- Out-of-state DL/ID
- Canceled check (dated within 90 days prior to application)
- Cooperative Driver Testing Program certificate
- Court order
- Credit card/debit card – Visa, Mastercard, American Express or Discover
- Driver's license issued by an agency of the U.S. government (e.g., Department of State)
- Foreign passport
- Identification card issued by an agency of the U.S. government
- Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) Identification
- Card Verification Form
- Medicare card – with suffix A, J, H, M or T
- Mortgage or installment loan documents
- Social Security card
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) forms: Form I-551 (Permanent Resident Card), Form I-766 (Employment Authorization Card), Form I-94 (Arrival/Departure Record) with valid passport.
- U.S. military DL/ID
- U.S. military service record (e.g., DD 214)
