TULSA — Oklahoma’s legislature passed a law in 2007, refusing to comply with new federal requirements for state-issued driver licenses and identification cards, known as REAL ID.

After years of wrangling, debate, and delays, the state finally began issuing REAL ID-compliant cards in June of this year, and the Department of Public Safety announced this week that they’re now available in Tulsa.

Several tag agencies can issue them, as well as the DPS office at the Eastgate Metroplex.

DPS spokeswoman Sarah Stewart told KRMG Thursday that thanks to the pandemic, the federal government has again extended the deadline for Americans to obtain the new identification cards for another full year.

That means they’re still not required to board an airplane or enter many federal facilities until October 1, 2021.

That gives Oklahomans plenty of time to decide if they want or need a REAL ID-compliant card; the state opted to make both options available.

Applicants will need to bring several documents with them, including “proof of your identity, which could be like a birth certificate or a passport, proof of your Social Security number, which could be like a Social Security card or a W-2 or 1099, and two proofs of your residency,” Stewart said.

Proofs of residency could include utility bills, a motor vehicle registration, or even mail delivered to your address from a verifiable business or government entity.

For full details, you can visit the Oklahoma REAL ID webpage.

Cox Media Group