January 23, 2020 3:20 a.m.
Information from the Oregon Department of Transportation says Oregonians should get a passport due to an upcoming change in federal requirements for air travel.
On October 1st, the Transportation Security Administration, or TSA, begins requiring a new type of identification to board a commercial aircraft. The new ID must be compliant with the Real ID Act. The ODOT release said its designed to keep Americans safer in the air. However, those who try to board an aircraft using their current Oregon driver license starting in October, will find that it will not work. That’s because the current Oregon driver license is not Real ID compliant.
Oregon DMV will begin offering a Real ID option on July 6th. To fulfill the demand of nearly one million Oregonians who will want that option, DMV would have to issue 32 licenses a second every business day from July through October. The release said “that’s just not possible”.
Officials said the answer for Oregonians is to obtain and use a passport or passport card. The cost of getting a new passport card is roughly equal to that of getting a replacement license with the Real ID option. The passport can be applied for now at one of over 75 acceptance sites across Oregon.
To find out more, go to https://www.Oregon.gov/REALID.