CESCO nearly booked solid for Real ID appointments this month

Driver Services Center Director Mary Fuster Romero

By The Star Staff

Driver Services Center (CESCO) Director Mary Fuster Romero said on Wednesday that until June there are no appointments available to obtain the Real ID, which as of May 7 will be a requirement to travel by plane or enter some facilities of the federal government.

“As the date approached, people continued to make their appointments, so for May we are quite tight in that sense,” Fuster Romero said at a press conference. “In June people can still make their appointments; we have more than 40,000 appointments available for June. May is already quite close to full capacity.”

Currently, some 450,000 people with a license or identification from the Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTOP by its acronym in Spanish) have not obtained a Real ID.

Transportation Security Administration spokesperson Joey Martínez noted that people who need to travel to the United States and don’t yet have a Real ID will be able to do so, but it will take additional time for their identity to be validated.

To obtain a Real ID, applicants must have no traffic tickets and must also present:

* An original birth certificate (issued from July 2010 to the present) or a valid passport. Social Security card or employee tax withholding statement (W-2).

* Original water, electricity, cell phone, or bank statement (no more than two months old).

* Medical certificate (no more than one year old).

* Receipt #2028 for $17.