New Aurora DMV+ opens as looming REAL ID deadline causes surge in demand
With the deadline for domestic flyers to have REAL ID just weeks away, Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias encouraged travelers Monday to “make sure you really need one.”
Travelers with a passport can also board U.S. flights on May 7 when the new requirement goes live, he noted at the opening of a new DMV+ in Aurora.
“Also, we’re not stopping the issuance of REAL IDs on May 7, it will go on in summer, fall, forever,” Giannoulias said.
The U.S. Transportation Security Administration issued a reminder Friday that “on May 7, TSA will no longer accept state-issued identifications that are not REAL ID compliant at TSA security checkpoints.”
Passengers with state identifications like driver’s licenses that are not REAL ID-compliant and with no acceptable alternatives, such as a passport, can expect delays, additional screening and possibly not being allowed past security checkpoints, the agency said.
“TSA will implement REAL ID effectively and efficiently, continuing to ensure the safety and security of passengers while also working to minimize operational disruptions at airports,” TSA senior official Adam Stahl said in a statement.
The looming deadline has caused lines at DMVs across the state.
Giannoulias said his office has worked to advise Illinoisans on the deadline, opened up a downtown REAL ID Supercenter, and expanded service on Saturdays to meet customers’ needs.
“We’ve been very proactive dealing with the unprecedented demand … which I should point out is a national issue.”
Space at the new Aurora DMV+, 970 N. Lake St., has doubled from the previous office with added service stations, cross-trained staff and more bilingual employees.
“This model allows customers to obtain both driver’s and vehicle services at a single counter … plus each station has a printer and a cash register,” Giannoulias said.
After he was elected in 2022, Giannoulias said he went to visit the previous Aurora DMV but “had trouble finding it because the sign was literally knocked over. It was in a strip mall with aesthetic challenges.”
Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin noted that “I got my driver’s there when I was 16 years old. It didn’t change much from the time I got my license to now.”
REAL ID info
• Some DMVs offer REAL ID walk-in services Saturdays between 7:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Locations are in Addison, Aurora, Chicago West, Des Plaines, Elgin, Joliet, Lake Zurich, Melrose Park, Plano, St. Charles, Waukegan and Woodstock.
• Some DMVs have extended their hours from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday but appointments must be made in advance. The sites include: Chicago North, Deerfield, Lombard, Naperville, Schaumburg and Springfield.
• A REAL ID Supercenter, located at 191 N. Clark St., offers walk-in services from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
• Residents with questions can visit www.ilsos.gov.