Travelers who want to upgrade their Missouri driver’s license to comply with the requirements of the federal Real ID Act will soon be able to do so at St. Louis-Lambert International Airport.
The state Department of Revenue will open a temporary license office in Terminal 1 on May 3. Anyone can renew or upgrade their license, but the space is designed for travelers, said Lambert Director Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge.
“If you’ve got a trip planned, and you allow yourself a little bit of extra time either before or after, you can do it while you’re here versus having to make another trip to one of the offices that may be located near your home,” she said.
Starting Oct. 1, domestic air travel will require a license that meets stricter federal security rules. The state has issued more than a million such documents, but millions more will not be able to board a plane after the law finally takes effect. Full implementation has been delayed several times, most recently by the coronavirus pandemic. Travelers who use the Lambert office will have to bring all the required documentation, which includes proof of identity and Missouri residency.
Most of the time, the Department of Revenue measures success at a license office by how efficient its employees are at issuing licenses. Joseph Plaggenberg, director of the department’s Motor Vehicle and Driver’s License division, said those same metrics will be in place for the Lambert office.
“But we’re also using this as a point of providing information to the public about Real ID because there’s still a lot of questions about it and a lot of confusion that comes up from time to time,” he said.
The temporary Lambert office will close Sept. 30. Plaggenberg said offices at other locations are possible.
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