REAL ID now required; Milwaukee airport, DMV impact on 1st day

MILWAUKEE - Twenty years after congress made it law, the TSA is now enforcing REAL ID requirements at airports, military bases and other federal buildings.

The Department of Homeland Security began enforcing REAL ID Act requirements on Wednesday, May 7. It made for a busy day for some travelers.

Local perspective:

About an hour from closing time at the downtown Milwaukee DMV, staff told FOX6 News off-camera they saw twice as many customers on Wednesday as they normally would.

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"I would say roughly 35 to 40 minutes," said Brittany Hull of Milwaukee. "It was a really easy process. Other than filling out the paper and standing in line — the longest thing was standing in the line."

Rhoan Garnett said he moved around his day just to get it.

"I was under the impression that today was actually the deadline to make that conversion, and if I didn't do it today, then I wouldn't be able to do it. But I found out from the folks at the front desk that that's not the case," Garnett said.

Still, he said he's glad to get a REAL ID to be able to travel with ease.

"My girlfriend's also going to be happy that I have it, so that there's no chance that if we're going somewhere that there's any issues," he said.

What they're saying:

Meanwhile, at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport, Ava Rewolinski admits it made for a stressful morning.

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"So, I kinda forgot about all the REAL ID stuff," she said. "It just — we kinda forgot about it. Of course, it's the day that we leave."

Though passengers can still fly with other acceptable forms of ID. A valid U.S. passport or other acceptable form of federal identification can be used in place of a REAL ID-compliant driver's license or ID card.

The Department of Homeland Security said ensuring travelers have a REAL ID, is all about making air travel in the country safer. And that should make it harder for people with fake IDs to travel.

The TSA said day one was a breeze.

"Really smooth day across the region," TSA regional spokesperson Jessica Mayle said. "I think it definitely helps doing this on a Wednesday — that's traditionally a lower volume day for passenger throughput."

Dig deeper:

Wisconsin began offering REAL ID-compliant licenses in 2013, but you have had the choice on whether to get one.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation said it issued nearly 55,000 between April 1 and May 1. They added that 65% of all state-issued IDs are REAL ID-compliant.

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