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Mainers have less than a year to get REAL ID

October 1 began the one-year countdown for Maine residents have to replace their driver's license with REAL ID.

AUGUSTA, Maine — October 1 begins the one-year countdown to the enforcement of REAL ID. 

Starting October 2020, Maine residents will need a REAL ID driver’s license to board a domestic flight on an airplane or enter a secure federal building if they don't have a passport or other federally approved documentation. 

Maine’s REAL ID drivers' licenses and identification cards have a star in the upper right corner inside a gold outline of the state to indicate that it meets federal regulations.

Mainers have the option to upgrade to a REAL ID if their license does not currently have the star or sticker with an older standard driver’s license. 

RELATED: Federal agents won't have wide-spread access to Real ID database, says Maine SOS Dunlap

The standard credential, without the star, will not be valid to board a domestic flight or to access secure federal facilities. 

To get the REAL ID star on a driver’s license, an in-person visit to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles office is mandatory along with a new photograph and proof of identity documents. 

Credit: Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles

Copies of the other documents listed in the checklist will be kept on file with the state.

Credit: Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles

A new REAL ID driver's license in Maine will cost $55, and a REAL ID will cost $30, according to the BMV website.

RELATED: Maine Secretary of State says federal agents will not have open-ended access to ID database

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