If you’ve been putting off getting your Maine Real ID, keep this in mind: May 7, 2025 is the day by which every American needs to have this enhanced driver’s license or ID card. That is, if they want to be able to show that ID to fly (versus taking a passport) or enter certain Federal facilities that require identification.
Real IDs came to be in response to The Real ID Act of 2005. It created federal requirements for state driver’s licenses and ID cards. The idea was enhancing national security in our post 9/11 world. Per the Department of Homeland Security, the law aims to “set standards for the issuance of sources of identification, such as driver’s licenses.”
What does a Maine Real ID look like?
I wasn’t sure if my Maine driver’s license was a Real ID. But here’s how I know that it is: in the upper righthand corner, there is a gold line drawing of the State of Maine with a star cutout in the middle. That’s the hallmark of a Real ID in Maine.
Every state has a different way of marking a driver’s license as a Real ID. For example, next door in New Hampshire, a Real ID driver’s license just has a gold circle with a star cutout in the middle, in the upper righthand corner.
After the May 7, 2025 deadline, any new driver’s license you get that is not a Real ID will say across the top “Not federally compliant” or “Not for federal identification.”
Why would you want a Maine Real ID driver’s license?
There are a couple of reasons to get a Real ID driver’s license the next time you renew. One, starting May 7, 2025, you will not be allowed through TSA screening at an airport to board a plane without one. This is for flying domestically.
Of course, you can always bring your passport instead, as long as the passport hasn’t expired. But wouldn’t having just one ID that works for flying domestically be more convenient?
Another reason you’ll need a Real ID? If you need to access federal government facilities or military installations that ask for ID, or to enter nuclear power plants. All will deny you entry without this enhanced identification starting May 7, 2025.
Is the Maine Real ID a requirement?
This was news to me. I thought that, after May 7, 2025, every driver’s license that the Bureau of Motor Vehicles issues would be a Real ID. But, I was wrong.
Getting a Real ID is your personal choice. If you don’t get one, then you’ll always need to have a current passport with you when you travel or when visiting certain federal facilities. However, with a regular, non-Real ID Maine driver’s license, you can still use that ID for the following:
- Drive
- Register to vote
- Apply for or receive federal benefits
- Cash checks
- Rent a vehicle
- Enter a federal facility that does not require an ID such as a post office
- Purchase alcohol or tobacco
- Access health services
Paperwork requirements
I found that getting my Real ID driver’s license was similar to getting a U.S. Passport. At a minimum, expect to have to bring the following to your appointment:
- proof of your full legal name
- proof of your date of birth
- Social Security number
- two documents proving you live in Maine
Additionally, you’ll need documents proving that you are in the country legally, whether as a citizen, permanent resident or an immigrant lacking permanent legal status under another program. If you already have a U.S. Passport, this could satisfy this latter requirement.
These requirements are similar to what I had to provide before my Global Entry interview at the Customs and Border Protection office in Calais, Maine.
Price for Real ID
The price you’ll pay for your Real ID depends on your age, the kind of driver’s license you’re getting and whether you are getting your first license versus transferring a license from another state.
Here are the prices, as list on the Maine.gov website:
- Class C – Under Age 65 – 6 year license: $30.00
- REAL ID Class C – Under Age 65 – 6 year license: $55.00
- Class C – Age 65 or Older – 4 Year License: $20.00
- REAL ID Class C – Age 65 or Older – 4 Year License: $40.00
- Commercial License – Under Age 65 – 5 year license: $34.00
- REAL ID Commercial License – Under Age 65 – 5 year license: $59.00
- Commercial License – Age 65 or Older – 4 Year License: $27.00
- REAL ID Commercial License – Age 65 or Older – 4 Year License: $47.00
- Converting a Class C license from another state: $35.00 application fee plus $30.00 license fee
Real ID and Voting
As you likely know, the U.S. House of Representatives recently passed something called the SAVE Act. It is supposed to stop non-citizens from voting but what it is really designed to do is make it harder for many people to vote. For instance, if you’re a woman who changed your name after marriage and do not have a passport, then you don’t have the proper “papers” to prove your U.S. citizenship and, if it passes, you can’t vote. That is, unless you get a new birth certificate issued with your married name on it, you can’t prove your citizenship.
Even though you will have had to provide all the same documentation for a Real ID as the SAVE Act is saying you need to vote, your Real ID won’t be good enough to vote. So if you don’t like this idea, call your U.S. Senators and tell them your opinions.
Where to get a Real ID
You’ll visit your local Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) for your Real ID. Branch office hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
I would recommend making your BMV appointment online ahead of time so that you can avoid lines when you get there. Also, all BMV offices are closed on legal holidays in Maine.
BMV locations in Southern Maine are in the following places:
- Kennebunk
- Portland
- Scarborough
- Springvale
- Topsham
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