Updated as of 4:32 p.m. on April 8 to include video. 

As the May 7 deadline for U.S. residents to get a REAL ID approaches, the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles’ appointments are filling up quickly. 

REAL ID is a federal law that sets minimum security standards for state-issued driver's licenses and identification cards; it is indicated by a star on the corner of the drivers license or Identification card, and it allows citizens to travel and go to government buildings without having to carry a U.S. passport.

A North Carolina REAL ID will have a star in the upper right corner of the driver's license. Every REAL ID will have one of these stars to depict its authenticity, though the location of these stars depend on the state’s driver’s license.

Communications Manager at the North Carolina Department of Transportation Marty Homan said he’s noticed an increase in visitors to the DMV.

“We are seeing people who have sort of waited until the last minute to get a REAL ID,” Homan said. “We've been offering REAL IDs for eight years.”

North Carolina began offering REAL IDs in May 2017. Homan said that since 2017, the DMV has issued 4.8 million REAL IDs, with around 60 to 65,000 REAL IDs being issued per month.

The REAL ID Act, passed by Congress in 2005, was put into effect after the 9/11 Commission Report set standards for safety within the United States after the 9/11 terrorist attack on the U.S. Due to certain setbacks, like the COVID-19 pandemic, this act has been pushed back until May 7, 2025, to be in full force.

“We're constantly updating our technology and our procedures to make sure that we're keeping passengers safe,” Transportation Security Association’s spokesperson for North Carolina REAL ID Daniel Velez said.

Velez said the reason for this driver’s license change is safety.

“The most important thing about REAL ID is we're trying to protect travelers,” Velez said. “That's what this REAL ID Act is all about — is making sure that people are who they say they are when they get on to an aircraft.”

Homan said that though the deadline is May 7, he has heard through media reports that TSA will begin with a phased approach. If someone does not have a REAL ID or someone’s driver’s license with a passport, it will take them longer to get through airport security. 

“It's not going to be a hard stop on May 7,” Homan said. “You're not going to get turned around at the terminal and sent home. It'll likely just take you longer to get through.” 

For those who are out of state residents, like most Elon students, it is still possible to get a REAL ID in North Carolina. If someone takes their driver’s license, along with the other required documents, they are able to switch out their license for a REAL ID as long as they show proof of residence. 

“If you were to come into North Carolina and try to get a REAL ID, it would cancel your Pennsylvania driver license and you would then only have the North Carolina driver license,” Homan said.

Elon freshman Jack Novak said he does not have a REAL ID from his home state of New Jersey. Though Novak plans to drive home from Elon, he said that he plans to update his driver’s license to a REAL ID if any spots are available at his local DMV.

“I think it's really hard to get a reservation for one or an appointment for one in New Jersey right now, but they're requiring it,” Novak said. “I probably should get one when I go back home.”

Along with not having a REAL ID, Novak does not have his passport with him.

“I wouldn't be able to [fly home], so that's not good, I guess,” Novak said. “So, I guess it's good I can get a ride.”

To exchange a driver’s license into a REAL ID, it is free as long as it is a renewal. But if someone is coming in to exchange their license outside of the renewal cycle, the duplicate license will cost $16.75.

Typically, DMV appointments are made 90 days in advance, but it also welcomes walk-in appointments.

Alannah Klingsporn contributed to the reporting of this story.