Deadline approaches for mandatory REAL ID: Check for your gold or black star

ATLANTA — With the May 7 federal mandatory REAL ID deadline fast approaching, the Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS) is reminding residents to check their driver’s license or state ID card now, especially if they are planning to travel by plane.

If you see a gold or black star in the upper right corner, you’re already REAL ID compliant — no need to visit a DDS center for a new driver’s license or state ID.

Beginning May 7, 2025, the REAL ID Act—a security measure enacted after 9/11—will take full effect, requiring travelers flying within the U.S. to present REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or a state identification card. 

While individuals without a REAL ID can still use their current licenses to drive and for many day-to-day purposes, they won’t be permitted to board domestic flights, unless they have an alternative accepted form of identification, such as a valid passport. After years of delays, the Department of Homeland Security is set to enforce the deadline. In addition to air travel, REAL ID-compliant identification will also be necessary to enter certain federal buildings. 

Various news outlets across the nation are reporting a surge in drivers scrambling to get appointments to update their licenses as the deadline looms. Georgia’s DDS, however, reports that there are 8,941,032 valid active drivers in Georgia and 99.9% of them are compliant. 

“As the implementation date of May 7, 2025 nears, DDS is seeing customers who are already Real ID compliant visiting our centers.  Either a gold or black star on a Georgia license or ID will be accepted, and the color only changed due to a card design change within DDS,”  Georgia DDS Commissioner Spencer R. Moore said.

Typically, only new drivers or those moving to Georgia need to obtain a REAL ID, officials said. Georgia began updating the credentials in 2012. Georgians who do not drive and only have an Identification Card would also have a Real ID Compliant Card if it was issued after 2012, officials said.

For Georgia residents, there’s no wait or appointment needed to update your credentials, unless you must take a road test, officials said. DDS offices also are open on Saturdays in many Georgia locations in addition to being weekdays.  

Learn more about REAL ID at dhs.gov/real-id, and find full driver services at the link.