There is an Oct. 1 deadline for Californians to apply for their REAL Identification (ID), but many residents have yet to apply for their new ID.
According to ABC News, the old California ID no longer meets the federal standards, and the new REAL ID will meet all the new federal regulations for IDs.
The Oct. 1 deadline is for those who need to board an airplane within the United States or enter a secure federal facility, according to ABC News.
The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has been issuing 450,000 REAL IDs a month and is preparing to double that amount by hiring 2,000 employees to reduce the long wait times, according to the Los Angeles Times.
“We are really encouraging people to go online because you can still do a lot of work, automated work, to minimize the time you may need to be in a field office,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom said to the LA Times.
The DMV has taken action to spread awareness of the new IDs to residents.
California DMV Public Information Officer Nicholas Filipas said they have printed ads in nine different languages. They also paid for English and Spanish radio ads, billboards and posters. The DMV also hosted Saturday events to give residents the chance to apply for the new REAL ID.
This education campaign wanted to address three topics: “Help Californians decide whether they want a REAL ID or not, to make sure those who come to the DMV are prepared, and to smooth out demand for field office visits by getting people into an office now.” Filipas said.
Shafter DMV has been keeping people waiting outside in the wake of the coronavirus and there are many questions regarding the deadline and if they would extend it because of current events.
“The DMV is moving forward with the implementation by the October 2020 enforcement date,” Filipas said when asked about deadline extension. “Based on earlier estimates, it is anticipated about 16 million Californians will want a REAL ID.”