REAL ID in California: online application, documents and your DMV visit

How to get a REAL ID driver's license or ID card from the California DMV, from deciding whether you need one to the online application, the documents to bring and the office visit.

Guide · California · REAL ID · Driver licenses · updated October 29, 2026

In California, both driver's licenses and ID cards can be issued as REAL IDs. The process has three parts: an online application where you upload your documents, a visit to a DMV office with the originals, and the card itself. This guide walks through each part as the California DMV describes it.

Step 1: Decide whether you need a REAL ID

The California DMV says a REAL ID is optional. It matters for two things:

• Boarding domestic flights within the U.S.
• Entering secure federal facilities

The DMV gives May 7, 2025 as the date the federal rules took effect. Since then, a California card that is not a REAL ID will not get you onto a flight or into a secure federal facility.

The DMV lists situations where you do not need one: applying for federal benefits, entering a post office or another federal building that does not ask for ID, visiting a hospital, and riding Amtrak or other public ground transportation.

You can also use another federally accepted ID instead, such as a U.S. passport, passport card, military ID or enhanced driver's license. In that case the DMV says you do not need a REAL ID, though it still recommends one.

Two more points from the DMV:

• Minors under 18 do not have to show ID when they fly with a companion, but the companion needs acceptable ID.
• People applying for or renewing an AB 60 driver's license are not eligible for a REAL ID.

Step 2: Know how to spot a California REAL ID

A California REAL ID shows a golden bear with a star in the top right corner. A card that is not a REAL ID says "Federal Limits Apply" in the same spot. If you already have the bear and star, the DMV says you can renew online.

Step 3: Gather your documents

The DMV's interactive REAL ID Checklist is the place to confirm what applies to you. You will need three things.

One proof of identity

It must show your full legal name and your date of birth. The DMV marks a valid U.S. passport or passport card as preferred. Other accepted documents include:

• An original or certified copy of a U.S. birth certificate from a city, county or state vital statistics office. The DMV does not accept "abbreviated" or "abstract" birth certificates.
• A certified copy of a birth certificate from a U.S. territory
• A Certificate of Naturalization or Certificate of U.S. Citizenship
• A U.S. Certificate of Birth Abroad or Consular Report of Birth Abroad
• A valid Permanent Resident Card
• A foreign passport with a valid U.S. visa and an approved I-94
• A valid Employment Authorization Document (I-766)
• A valid foreign passport stamped "Processed for I-551"

The checklist lists a few further options, including documents reflecting TPS eligibility.

Your Social Security number

The DMV's REAL ID information page lists your Social Security number as a requirement and notes that exceptions may apply. The online application also asks for it.

Two proofs of California residency

Bring two different printed documents that show your first and last name and the same California mailing address you put on your application. Examples from the checklist:

• A home utility bill or cell phone bill (marked preferred)
• Bank, credit union or credit card records
• Medical, dental, vision, life, home, rental or vehicle insurance documents
• A mortgage bill or property tax bill
• Employment documents, or IRS or California Franchise Tax Board tax returns
• A rental or lease agreement signed by both the landlord and tenant
• A USPS Change of Address Confirmation
• Voter registration confirmation from the California Secretary of State or a county elections office
• A California vehicle or vessel title or registration

If you use a P.O. Box, one of the two documents must show both the P.O. Box and your physical address.

If your name is not on any residency document, the DMV accepts a birth certificate, marriage license or domestic partner registration certificate that links you to the person named on the document. A minor can use a parent's residency document together with a birth certificate showing the relationship.

If your name has changed

If your current legal name does not match your identity document, bring at least one document for each legal name change. Examples include a marriage certificate, adoption papers, a domestic partnership certificate or registration, a dissolution document showing the resulting name, or a name change document showing your name before and after.

Step 4: Complete the online application

The DMV asks you to start online, then finish in person.

1. Create a DMV online account or sign in. Two-factor authentication is required, so you need an email address and a phone that can receive a call or text.
2. Have your Social Security number, name, address and date of birth ready.
3. Fill in the application. The DMV says it takes about 9 minutes on average and times out after 15 minutes, but you can save and come back.
4. Upload images of your identity and residency documents.
5. Submit, and keep the confirmation code the DMV emails you. Office staff use it to find your application.

The DMV stores online applications for up to one year. Nothing is processed until you visit an office.

Step 5: Visit a DMV office

A first REAL ID cannot be completed by mail or online: the DMV requires an in-person visit.

• Bring the original documents you uploaded and your confirmation code.
• You sign the application with a DMV employee at the office.
• The DMV's appointments page links to scheduling, office locations and hours, and a "Get in Line Now" option.
• If you need a written test, plan around the DMV's rule that tests are not given at offices after 4:30 p.m.

Organ and tissue donor registration is also completed at the office, not online.

After you have a REAL ID

Once you hold a REAL ID, the DMV says you may be eligible to renew online or by mail rather than repeating the in-person process.