The deadline for replacing a standard Kentucky driver’s license with a REAL ID has been postponed until May 3, 2023, state and federal officials announced Monday.
“At that time, standard Kentucky driver’s licenses will no longer be accepted for U.S. commercial air travel, to visit military bases or to visit federal buildings that require ID,” a REAL ID KY official said in a Facebook post. “Kentuckians will need a form of federally accepted ID to maintain these travel and access benefits.”
Prior to the extension, the deadline was October 2021. The deadline was postponed because of circumstances related to the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said.
A regional office that can issue the REAL ID is planned in the old First City Bank building at Ninth and Main streets.
A date for the office to open is not yet available, Christian County Circuit Court Clerk Paige Parker said in a Facebook post. However, appointments to get the REAL ID are available in Madisonville.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. She spent 30 years as a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition.
