Many other forms of identification, including Trusted Traveler cards, military IDs and passports, will be accepted by airport security

Time is running out for Oregonians who are planning to fly soon and haven’t gotten a REAL ID driver’s license — and wait times are exploding as people rush to DMV offices to get one.

After the May 7 deadline, the Transportation Security Administration will require a REAL ID — or another accepted form of identification, such as a passport –— to get past security at U.S. airports.

The deadline crunch has been a long time coming. The REAL ID Act, which prohibits travelers from using state-issued IDs that didn’t pass new federal “ minimum standards” for personal identification, was passed by Congress in 2005. But the law is only now going into effect, 20 years later.

Transportation officials have been encouraging people to get a REAL ID driver’s license for several years, but many Oregonians put it off until the eleventh hour. Only 5,114 people made an appointment to get one in the second week of 2025. But 10,291 Oregonians made an appointment last week – for a total of 78,680 people this year, as of April 4.

As a result, said Chris Crabb, Oregon Driver & Motor Vehicle Services spokesperson, walk-in wait times at DMV offices now can take hours.

But before you panic, it may be worth checking the ID you already have.

Many other forms of identification, including Trusted Traveler cards, military IDs and passports, will be accepted by airport security, TSA officials said. People can check if their existing driver’s licenses are compliant by looking for a star icon in the right-hand corner.

Crabb added that anyone who’s struggling to find an appointment before the deadline passes should rely on an alternate identification that the TSA accepts until they can make an appointment. For those who don’t have a REAL ID license, DMV offices take walk-in appointments for anyone willing to wait. Proof of legal residence and a Social Security number, among other documents, are required to get a REAL ID.

Making an appointment sooner rather than later is important, Crabb said, because it can take up to three weeks for a REAL ID card to arrive in the mail after one’s in-person appointment.

But for anyone who wants to dodge walk-in wait times, Crabb said persistence is a virtue.

“If you are planning on flying in the next couple months and don’t have a passport, keep looking for appointments” on the DMV website, she said in an email. “We release them 30 days out each day, and when there’s a cancellation they are immediately offered up, so check back often.”