Maine has been given one final waiver for compliance with the federal Real ID act. The waiver expires in October of 2020.
Maine Secretary of State Matt Dunlap says that adopting the act is an ongoing process.
“Probably next July we'll be able to issue Real ID-compliant credentials,” Dunlap says. “But since the waiver's going to be extended beyond next July 1, people shouldn't feel that they have to rush in and get a compliant credential.”
The state legislature has long been resistant to the law on privacy grounds, and it passed a law prohibiting the state from participating in 2007. But ten years later, the legislature passed another law saying Maine should comply with the federal law.
Until October, 2020, Maine drivers licenses and IDs will be accepted as valid federal identification for boarding an airplane or for entering a federal facility such as the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.
After that, Dunlap says Mainers won't be required to get a Real ID-compliant license. They can opt out and use passports instead.