The Tennessee Department of Safety of Homeland Security adding some 1,400 appointments for citizens applying for REAL IDs.
The new ID cards, necessary for plane travel, go live May 7. Assistant Commissioner Russell Shoup said the appointments are available to book online and will be at various driver service centers across the state. Shoup said people can upload the necessary paperwork online before an appointment and it will be checked to confirm they are bringing the correct documents.
“They can go to any of our driver service centers,” Shoup said. “So they can book, find a service center that’s reasonably close, find an open appointment, book that, and they can be served if they’re comfortable going somewhere that’s not just right in their home county.”
Shoup said those applying for a REAL ID need to provide proof of U.S. citizenship and a social security number as well as two items to prove Tennessee residency. Shoup said anyone who has changed their name will have to provide an original marriage certificate, divorce decree, or similar paperwork explaining any and all name changes they have had.
“If they’re from another state, they can take that driver’s license and then basically they’ll need the same documents if they want to get a REAL ID,” Shoup said. “But if they’ve gotten their REAL ID from the other state then we have a process to convert that.”
Shoup said uploading the documents ahead of time will also save time during the actual appointment. Shoup said people can go to TN REAL ID Dot Gov to schedule an appointment.
“Typically when you go to get your original REAL ID it’ll take up to twenty days to get the hard card to come back,” Shoup said. “And so if anyone is traveling in early May I would strongly suggest they go and obtain that, especially if they don’t have a passport as soon as they can.”
Shoup said there is no rush to get a REAL ID for anyone who does not need to fly on a plane on or after May 7. Shoup said citizens can also use a passport to fly on commercial flights in place of a REAL ID.
“If you were to go to get just a regular driver’s license right now versus a REAL ID, the only real difference is in the upper right hand corner the READ ID will have a white star on a black circle underneath it and then the non-REAL ID will have some verbiage just saying ‘Not for use to enter federal buildings’ or something of that nature,” Shoup said.
