California driver's licenses about to change

OAKLAND (KTVU) -- The Trump administration has set a date for when states must comply with regulations that require airline passengers to present driver's licenses that meet the new federal guidelines.

The October 2020 deadline, now just about three years away, means the California Department of Motor Vehicles is moving forward with implementation so that the state will be compliant with the U.S. REAL ID Act.

The law was passed in 2005 in response to the terrorist attacks on September 11 and was an effort to make identification cards more secure.

The original deadline to implement the new IDs was in 2008, but California and dozens of other states were granted extensions.

The Trump White House has indicated that it will enforce the October 2020 deadline for everyone to obtain the new ID cards. After that deadline, Californians won’t be able to use their current license as proof of ID at airport security checkpoints although passports will still be valid.

"If you do have a California Driver License or ID card you can use that to get on airplanes until October 2020, but we will begin the process for customers to come into our field offices and begin to apply for federally compliant cards in January 2018," said Jessica Gonzales, a spokeswoman for the state DMV.

California residents must apply for a REAL ID in person at a DMV field office and the application can not be submitted online.

And residents will have to provide more documentation than before, including a birth certificate, two documents showing residency and a Social Security card.

Special markings on the card will make the new driver license ID different than a regular license.

Gov. Jerry Brown’s revised budget proposal includes money for the upgrading process by allowing the DMV to hire roughly 700 additional workers to meet the demand during the next six years and keep offices open on Saturdays.

By KTVU reporter Cristina Rendon.