Some states see REAL ID crowd rush, others quiet as deadline looms

Some states are seeing massive lines at Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) locations as travelers scramble to get their REAL IDs prior to the May 7 deadline. Others, not so much.

FOX News Multimedia Reporter Asher Redd was live outside a DMV in Antioch, Tennessee, on FOX 35 Orlando Monday morning, where a line of about 200 people stood behind him. 

Redd said states like Illinois, Pennsylvania and Tennessee have some of the longest lines and appointment wait lists through at least July. There in Tennessee, he reported some DMVs are open six days a week in hopes of getting everyone the identification travelers from U.S. airports and those entering some federal buildings will need.  

California is in a similar boat, FOX 11 Los Angeles reported, where some offices are opening an hour early through June 27 for those who started the process online and made appointments. 

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Meanwhile, Florida is not seeing the same rush. Some people who live in the Sunshine State can skip DMVs altogether, and get their drivers' licenses at the local tax collector's offices.

"We are fortunate in Florida since amendment 10, the local tax collectors in the state have done a phenomenal job to ensure the citizens have gotten their Real ID compliance completed," a spokesperson for the Seminole County Tax Collector's Office told Fox News Digital via email. 

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"Here in Seminole County there are only about 4000 people that have yet to complete it, which is less than 1% of the population," the statement said. 

Instead of heading to the DMV, the founder of passport and Visa services ItsEasy.com recommends obtaining a passport card.

"The last-minute rush to obtain a REAL ID Driver's License is leading to long delays at the DMV and causing unnecessary stress amongst travelers," David Alwadish said in a statement. "The credit-card sized, U.S. passport card is a convenient, secure and affordable alternative."

"For added security, I love that, unlike a DMV-issued ID, it does not have your address on it for strangers to know where you live," Aldawish added.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) continues reminding Americans "that starting Wednesday, May 7, 2025, every air traveler 18 years of age and older will need to have a REAL ID-compliant state-issued driver’s license, instruction permit or identification card or another acceptable form of ID to board a U.S. commercial aircraft," according to media releases.

REAL IDs have a star in the upper right-hand corner, TSA said. 

Once enforcement begins, the TSA said unprepared travelers arriving at TSA checkpoints should expect delays.