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REAL ID Issues For Pennsylvanians Looking To Travel

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Pennsylvanians are starting to see changes to their driver's licenses.

The changes include a larger primary photo, a special laminate and the removal of the magnetic strip.

But one thing remains the same: it still does not meet federal requirements.

The REAL ID Act, implemented after the 9/11 terror attacks, sets security standards for identification accepted by the federal government.

"It feels like they're kind of trying to snub the feds by doing it that way," Dustin Holloway of Philadelphia said. "Like, yeah, we're going to make a new ID and we're not going to make it compliant."

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PennDOT spokeswoman Alexis Campbell says while PennDOT has been working on a license redesign for two years, a 2012 law, signed by then Gov. Tom Corbett, barred the agency from complying with the REAL ID Act.

But last month, that all changed, when Gov. Tom Wolf signed legislation that would bring the state to compliance, though the actual cards won't be available until early 2019.

"People trust us to keep their identities secure in their license," Campbell said. "We couldn't put all those things on hold to wait for Real ID; it's just too important."

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Unless the Department of Homeland Security grants the state continued extensions to become compliant, Pennsylvanians flying domestically will no longer be able to use their driver's licenses as identification at the airport after January 22, 2018.

And come Oct. 10, they will also need alternate forms of identification to access federal buildings.

"Really, it just means bringing my passport everywhere I go, which I obviously prefer not to do," Holloway said.

Other valid forms of identification include permanent resident cards or U.S. military identifications.

Some say they currently rely on their licenses to board a plane.

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"Financially, it would be more inconvenient (with a) passport," Ava Holland of West Philadelphia said.

"The passport process is already more than $200," Denika Miller said.

Others say they won't be affected.

"Depending on how much it costs, it won't be that much of a problem," Kyle Perelman of Broomall said.

At this point, PennDOT says it is still too early to know how much a REAL ID-compliant card would cost or what the process would be to obtain one.

And though Pennsylvanians will not be required to get the card that is distinguished by a gold star, PennDOT estimates 25 percent of state license holders will opt in.

As far as other states in our region, Delaware is already federally compliant. New Jersey and Pennsylvania have been granted extensions as they work to do so.

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