Does your GA driver’s license or state ID have a gold or black star?

ATLANTA—The Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS) is reminding customers that if they have a gold star or a black star in the upper right corner of their Georgia driver’s license or ID card, they have a REAL ID.

Both stars indicate compliance with federal REAL ID requirements, and there is no need to visit a DDS center to obtain a new license or ID if your credential already displays either star.

“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,” DDS Commissioner Spencer R. Moore said.

Georgia is proud to have achieved 99.9% REAL ID compliance, meaning the vast majority of Georgia residents already possess a compliant credential. Typically, only new drivers and individuals moving to our State need to obtain a REAL ID compliant document.

The Real ID Act came from a recommendation from the 9/11 Commission to allow the TSA to only accept licenses and IDs with added security measures when identifying travelers at checkpoints and screenings and accessing certain federal facilities including nuclear power plants.

To learn more about Real ID, please visit https://www.dhs.gov/real-id/real-id-faqs. For complete driver testing and issuance information, please visitwww.dds.georgia.gov.