Real ID FAQs

According to the REAL ID Regulation 6 CFR Part 37, driver’s license and ID cards should have a marking indicating the card’s level of REAL ID compliance.

1. Non-compliant cards*, prior to Feb. 21, 2024 – These cards are blank in the upper-right corner.
2. REAL ID compliant cards – These cards have the gold star in the upper-right corner.

3. Non-compliant cards, beginning on Feb. 21, 2024 – These cards have the indicator of “NOT FOR REAL ID ACT PURPOSES” in the upper-right corner. As citizens with the blank non-compliant cards renew or replace their driver’s license or ID cards, they will convert to the indicator of “NOT FOR REAL ID ACT PURPOSES.”

   Non-compliant cards are still a valid form of identification. As of May 7, 2025, they will no longer be accepted for boarding domestic flights or accessing certain federal buildings.

Yes, your Iowa Mobile ID does hold your REAL ID compliance information. For example, you can use it at participating TSA PreCheck® checkpoints like the Des Moines and Cedar Rapids airports.

If you are unsure if the federal facility requires a REAL ID for entry, you should check their website or call them before visiting the location.

There is no difference in the materials used to make REAL ID cards and non-REAL ID cards. Both offer the same security features designed to prevent tampering, counterfeiting, or duplication; contain the same information; and have the same general appearance. The only significant physical difference will be a star verification mark on the front of the card in the upper, right-hand corner.

1. Non-compliant cards*, prior to Feb. 21, 2024 – These cards are blank in the upper-right corner.
2. REAL ID compliant cards – These cards have the gold star in the upper-right corner.

3. Non-compliant cards, beginning on Feb. 21, 2024 – These cards have the indicator of “NOT FOR REAL ID ACT PURPOSES” in the upper-right corner. As citizens with the blank non-compliant cards renew or replace their driver’s license or ID cards, they will convert to the indicator of “NOT FOR REAL ID ACT PURPOSES.”

   Non-compliant cards are still a valid form of identification. As of May 7, 2025, they will no longer be accepted for boarding domestic flights or accessing certain federal buildings.

Full Question: What will happen if I do not have a REAL ID-marked card after May 7, 2025, and I attempt to fly commercially or need access to federal facilities?

Answer: The federal agency responsible for security of the airport, federal facility, or nuclear power plant will determine whether to permit access/entrance or subject you to additional screening as prescribed by that agency. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) guides traveler identification and screening procedures on the TSA website. Individuals without a REAL ID after May 7, 2025, should contact the applicable federal agency to determine the steps for admittance.

Yes, your non-REAL ID driver's license will remain valid for all lawful driving purposes.

Full Question: Can I still use my valid driver's license or ID card for identification if it is not marked as REAL ID-compliant after May 7, 2025?

Answer: Yes, your non-REAL ID card will still be a valid form of photo identification.

Yes. May 7, 2025, is just the date federal officials will begin checking for REAL IDs. It is not a deadline for obtaining a REAL ID.

No. There is no additional fee for new, duplicate, or renewed driver's licenses or ID cards that include a REAL ID-mark.

No. REAL ID cards are issued for the same length of time as non-REAL ID cards, depending on the holder’s age and lawful status in the U.S.

You may apply at any Iowa DMV location throughout the state. You will need to make an appointment and present specific documents that prove your identity and residency.

No. REAL ID does not require any additional driving tests. It is focused only on identity security.

Yes. Any type of driver’s license or ID card (commercial, non-commercial, full-term, limited term, etc.) can be marked as a REAL ID.

Regardless of whether you are a new applicant or current card holder, you must bring the same types of documents to get a REAL ID-marked card. You will need to make an appointment to go to an Iowa DMV location.

To help applicants identify and gather the required documents, use the Iowa DOT's online checklist tool. Simply answer a few questions and the system will create a customized list of documents you need to bring with you.

1. Identity, date of birth and lawful status in the U.S. You must present one of the documents listed below, as well as any documents proving your legal name change history (if applicable).
2. Social Security number. You must present one document listing your name and full Social Security number, which we will use to verify your SSN through the Social Security Online Verification (SSOLV) system.
3. Iowa residency and current residential address. You must present two physical documents that include your name and current Iowa residential address that demonstrate residency in the state of Iowa. See examples of acceptable documents below.
    

No, however, you should still bring your out-of-state or Iowa driver's license or ID card to the driver’s license issuance site when you appear for issuance, as you are required to surrender all other driver's licenses or ID cards when you obtain an Iowa driver's license or ID card.

Additionally, an out-of-state license may help avoid knowledge and drive testing when applying for a new Iowa driver's license of the same class and endorsements.

If your name is different than the one shown on your birth certificate or other document used to establish identity and date of birth, you may be required to provide proof of legal name change. The following hardcopy documents are acceptable:

• Certified marriage certificate. Any marriage certificate must be issued by the state office of vital statistics or equivalent agency in your state or country of marriage. It must be a certified copy and have the stamp or raised seal of the issuing authority. A church, chapel or similarly issued certificate is not acceptable.
• Court order documenting name change. This could include a court order under petition for name change, a court order for name change in a divorce decree or decree if annulment, or a court order for name change in a decree of adoption. Any court order must contain your prior full legal name, your court-ordered full legal name; and be stamped with the official court seal (date stamps and file stamps are not the official court seal).
• Unexpired and valid REAL ID driver’s license or ID card issued by another state, if it lists your current legal name.

In all cases, the documents must connect the name shown on your birth certificate or other document used to establish identity and date of birth to your current name. You do not have to document a complete listing of all the names you may have previously used if the documents you provide clearly connect the two.

If you already hold an Iowa driver’s license or ID card and a Social Security card in your current legal name, you do not need to provide proof of legal name change, but we will electronically verify your current and prior legal name with the Social Security Administration.

Minors (persons under 18 years old) will be issued a driver's license or ID card with the REAL ID marking. (This includes a learner’s permit, minor's school license, intermediate license, full license, and minor’s restricted license.) Minors that are current driver's license or ID card holders have the same choice as existing card holders and can obtain a compliant card by following the same process.

Minors that are new applicants or that are upgrading an existing permit or license to a minor’s school license, intermediate license, full license, or minor’s restricted license must also present a consent form completed by their parent, guardian, or custodian. The consent form shows the parent’s, guardian’s, or custodian’s permission to obtain a driver's license or ID card and, if applicable, to drive at the level or for the purpose requested. Minors presenting a consent form do not have to provide additional documents showing residency and residential address.

Minors applying for a minor’s school license must present a completed Affidavit for School License form. All of these forms can be downloaded or obtained from any Iowa driver’s license issuance site and completed ahead of time; and if that is done, the parent, guardian, or custodian does not have to accompany the minor to the Iowa driver’s license issuance site. All of the forms except for the Affidavit for School License also can be completed by the parent, guardian, or custodian electronically at any Iowa driver’s license issuance site; the Affidavit for School License must also be signed by the minor’s school and therefore can’t be completed electronically at the station.

Emancipated minors (minors that are married) do not have to provide a consent form but must provide their marriage certificate to show emancipation.

Full Question: I do not have a social security card, IRS form W-2, or tax document to demonstrate a valid social security number. What should I do?

Answer: You may provide your social security number when you arrive in-person. If it verifies electronically with the federal Social Security Administration, no further proof is needed.

If you do not have a Social Security number but are eligible to have one, you must apply for a Social Security number before we can issue your REAL ID.  More information is available on the SSA’s website:  www.ssa.gov.

If you were born in Iowa, contact Health and Human Services. Information on how to obtain certified copies is available via the Iowa Health & Human Services website, or by calling 515-281-4944.  Requests can be made by phone, online, mail, and in person. You may also consult with your county recorder as your record of birth may be on file in that office.

If you were born outside of Iowa, contact your birth state’s vital statistics office or utilize one of several for-profit companies to purchase it. For information on where to write for vital records in other states, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's website.

We know that some states, including Iowa for a short time, issued wallet-sized or short-form birth certificates, and these are usually acceptable depending on what information is listed. As long as the birth certificate is certified, contains your full name and date of birth, and lists a “file number” or “file/issue date,” it is acceptable. If it does not list a sex, you will need to ensure you also bring your current license or ID card issued by Iowa or another state or a marriage certificate that lists your sex.

No, you only have to go through this process one time. After that the REAL ID-mark will remain on your card every time you renew it. However, a person that is a foreign national with temporary lawful status has to establish lawful status at each renewal.

Your card will read “limited term” at the top and be valid for the period of your lawful stay in the United States, not to exceed two years.

If your lawful stay has no defined end or expiration date, it will be valid for no longer than one year.

No, “limited term” cards confer the same identity and driving privileges, they simply must be renewed more frequently so we can re-confirm your lawful status in the U.S.

Full Question: I have had a driver's license or ID card in Iowa for many years. Why do I have to show documentation to obtain a REAL ID-marked card?

Answer: Federal regulations require all persons that want a REAL ID-marked card to have their identity, date of birth, Social Security number, residential address, and lawful status reverified before being issued the card.

Verification is a guard against document and identity fraud. It means the Iowa DOT must check with the agency or authority that issued the document to make sure it is valid.

Iowa uses Social Security Online Verification (SSOLV) to verify Social Security information; Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) to verify immigration documents and status; State to State (S2S) to verify licenses or ID cards issued by other U.S. states, and U.S. Passport Verification Service to verify passport information.

No. The information you give to the Iowa DOT held securely by the Iowa DOT. It is not entered into a national database.

Full Question: I have heard that REAL ID-marked driver's licenses and ID cards have an electronic chip in them that allows my movements to be tracked. Is this true?

Answer: No. There is no electronic chip or other electronic device in Iowa’s driver's license or ID cards, whether marked as REAL ID-compliant or not.

Iowa’s driver's licenses and ID cards do have the required bar code printed on the back; that code requires manual scanning and only conveys the information appearing on the face of the driver's license or ID card, without the photo.

No. While you do need to show documentation that proves your identity and your proof of residence to vote in Iowa, if you are using a driver’s license or ID for this purpose, it does not need to have the REAL ID marking.