Arizona Residents Have Until 2020 To Get New IDs

Published: Wednesday, December 9, 2015 - 3:53pm
Updated: Thursday, December 10, 2015 - 10:40am
(Photo courtesy of Arizona Motor Vehicle Division)
Arizona driver’s license.

Arizonans who were planning on getting new state-issued ID’s next year to comply with federal requirements, now won’t have to rush.

The new Arizona Voluntary Travel ID mandated by the Legislature are due to be available in April. But Arizona Department of Transportation spokesman Ryan Harding said the federal government has postponed making them mandatory at airports and other facilities that require them under federal standards.

“That specific credential won’t be required or absolutely needed because the Department of Homeland Security has given an extension until 2020. So people will have about 4 and a half years to come in and get one," said Hardin.

The new IDs, which will also serve as drivers’ licenses, are being issued to comply with the federal government’s Real ID Act, passed in 2005.