DDS reminds Georgians of REAL ID compliance

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - According to a recent press release, the Georgia Department of Driver Services is reminding Georgia residents that if they have a gold or black in the upper right hand corner of their driver’s license, they have a REAL ID.

There is no need to obtain a new license or ID because stars show compliance with federal REAL ID requirements.

DDS wants to clarify this compliance because “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,” said DDS commissioner Spencer R. Moore.

Georgia has 99.9% REAL ID compliance, meaning the vast majority of residents are already compliant.

Usually, only new drivers or people moving to Georgia need to obtain a REAL ID compliant document.

The 9/11 commission recommended the Real ID Act to allow TSA to only accept licenses and IDs to help identify travelers at checkpoints and accessing certain federal facilities including nuclear power plants.

For more information about REAL ID, visit https://www.dhs.gov/real-id/real-id-faqs.