North Dakota DOT to Begin Issuing “Real ID’s” the Legislature Opposed Back in 2007

News today is beginning May 1 the North Dakota Department of Transportation will begin issuing so-called “Real ID” cards.

They’re a sort of enhanced identification the idea for which came from the 9/11 commission. Back in 2005 Congress passed the Real ID Act, which created criteria for the ID and required that the feds stop accepting state-issued identification which wasn’t in keeping with those criteria. Getting a Real ID isn’t mandatory, but you wouldn’t be able to enter federal facilities or board a flight with non-compliant identification.

It’s been a long road to implementation, however. Many states fought the creation of the ID. Last year North Dakota got a waiver from the Department of Homeland Security which allowed our state identification to be valid through October 2020. But now the time has come for us to get on Real ID train:

BISMARCK — The North Dakota Department of Transportation has begun issuing Real ID-compliant credentials, the agency said Tuesday, May 1.

Driver’s license offices in Fargo and Minot are scheduled to start issuing the credentials May 21, with Williston and Dickinson set for the following day. Grand Forks will issue them starting May 23 while Jamestown and Devils Lake will begin May 24, according to a news release.

A reader reminded me earlier today that the North Dakota Legislature actually passed a resolution during their 2007 session opposing these ID’s. They said at the time that it would invite identity fraud and be an inconvenience to the public. You can see the full resolution below, but here’s the meat of it:

It wasn’t a controversial resolution at the time, passing by a voice vote in each chamber.

Getting one does seem like it’ll be a pain in the rear end. Here’s the list of documents you’ll need. In terms of what they’ll look like, per the DOT it seems the only difference is that a “Real ID” will have a gold star in the corner: