Behold! That Real ID you waited hours in line for might not even work.
According to new reports, the Department of Motor Vehicles did not adhere to Homeland Security guidelines when it developed the Real ID program, potentially forcing more than 3 million Californians who obtained the new identification cards to endure another long process of verification for their new ID's to work.
The Department of Homeland Security on Monday sent Gov. Gavin Newsom a letter notifying him that the DMV failed to require Californians to provide adequate verification of their residences when they applied for Real ID cards, the Sacramento Bee reports.
In a statement, the DMV said that 3.4 million Californians have already obtained the Real ID licenses and will be contacted with further instructions.
The supposed plan for these Californians to comply with the Homeland Security requirements is to return a letter with proof of residency by mail, visit a field office, or check in online.
“The DMV will be sending letters to individuals who submitted one proof of residency to acquire their Real ID card, informing them to send the letter back to DMV to serve as their proof of second residency,” the DMV statement reads.
Americans must have Real ID cards by Oct. 1, 2020 if they want to board airplanes and enter other federal facilities without a passport.
In a new agreement, the DMV now has until June 20 to send out letters to Californians who currently have Real ID cards.
After April 29, all future customers applying for Real IDs will need to provide “two documents demonstrating address of principal residence.”