REAL ID Deadline Sparks DMV Chaos—Americans Get Creative to Keep Flying

As the May 7 REAL ID deadline looms, Americans are scrambling for the new federally approved identification—while DMV appointment slots are vanishing faster than concert tickets for Taylor Swift.

Anyone hoping to breeze through a domestic airport or step foot in certain federal buildings will need a REAL ID soon. But with DMV systems jammed, frustrated citizens are turning to backup plans, including dusting off their passports or snagging passport cards.

New Jersey’s DMV website briefly showed zero available REAL ID appointments earlier this week. The state later added more time slots, but the struggle was real. Meanwhile, Virginia DMVs are now open on Saturdays just for REAL ID seekers, and California has stretched office hours to help with the rush.

Luckily, there are alternatives: a valid US passport or passport card, Global Entry, Department of Defense IDs, green cards, and border crossing cards will all get you through airport security post-deadline. For those without those, some AAA branches in six states—including Florida, Kansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Ohio, and Rhode Island—are stepping up to help folks get their REAL ID, though services and costs vary a bit depending on your membership and location.

AAA provides DMV services in 22 states, but only six offer REAL ID appointments. Sorry, everyone else—you’re on your own, and AAA says they’re not expanding that list anytime soon.

The State Department says you can get an expedited passport in two to three weeks (for a fee, naturally). So if you’re in a REAL ID pinch, that’s a solid Plan B.

Frustrated travelers are venting all over social media. One Kentucky resident called the process a "sh--show" and decided to skip the DMV drama entirely by getting a passport instead. Others are reassuring the panic-stricken masses that a passport works just fine for domestic flights. Honestly, it’s not every day you see Americans uniting over frustration at bureaucracy—somehow, that feels almost patriotic.

For those still weighing their options, the consensus is clear: if the DMV lines are out the door, just get a passport (or the handy passport card) and skip the chaos. Sometimes, the path of least resistance really is the best route to the boarding gate.