BATON ROUGE — With less than a week until the REAL ID enforcement deadline, the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles says that more than 1.2 million people have obtained a REAL ID-compliant license or identification card.

In April 2025 alone, OMV officials said that its field offices and Public Tag Agents across the state processed more than 97,000 REAL ID applications, the most since they began the initiative.

REAL IDs will be required to board planes on domestic and international flights. This means that standard state driver's licenses will no longer be enough past Wednesday, May 7.

Residents will also need a REAL ID-compliant license or another acceptable form of identification such as a passport, military ID or permanent resident card to access federal buildings or enter nuclear power plants.

"The card must have the REAL ID star or residents must present an alternative federally accepted document. The Department of Homeland Security recommends checking with the specific federal agency prior to visiting to ensure you bring the appropriate identification," officials said.

OMV said that it is continuing to remind residents that all field offices will continue to issue REAL ID licenses and identification cards after the enforcement date.

REAL ID is a federal security standard established by Congress following the 9/11 Commission’s recommendations, officials said. The REAL ID Act was passed in Congress in 2005 as a recommendation for the standardization of ID issuance.