Real ID enforcement from the federal government began Wednesday, May 7, 2025, and the West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) encourages residents to apply for Real ID if they have not yet obtained one.
Federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Transportation Security Administration (TSA), may only accept state-issued driver’s licenses and identification cards as identification for purposes of accessing federal facilities — including TSA airport security checkpoints — if the license or card was issued by West Virginia in accordance with the REAL ID security standards (meaning the license or card must include the REAL ID-compliant star marking).
“If you have summer plans and are looking to fly, why wait and take that chance to not be able to board?” DMV Commissioner Everett Frazier said. “Your procrastination will result in your frustration to get into the airport or other federal facilities.”
Residents can still obtain a Real ID at one of the 26 DMV offices and can also upload their documents to the Real ID headstart page for a small fee to help speed up the process.
Current driver licenses cannot be upgraded from a “Not for Federal Use” to a “For Federal Use” license online; residents will have to upgrade to a Real ID in office. If you wish to upgrade to a Real ID license, please make an appointment at your regional office at apps.wv.gov/Appt/DMV.
