Get a REAL ID in Kansas

Get a Kansas REAL ID: check whether your documents are already on file, bring original documents to a driver's license office, and get your card by mail.

Online?No, one office visitThe Division of Vehicles says to visit a driver's license office to add REAL ID. Online renewal through iKan keeps REAL ID only if your card already has it.
Office visitOne visit, appointment recommendedThe Division of Vehicles says appointments are recommended, as they receive priority. It does not say walk-ins are refused.
Cost$8 change feeThe Division of Vehicles says only normal license and ID fees apply. Its fee chart (updated 5/2023) lists adding REAL ID to a valid credential as an $8 change, like a new photo or an address change. If you renew at the same visit, the chart's renewal fees apply, for example $26 for a Class C license at 21-64 and $22 for an ID card under 65; it does not say whether the $8 is added. Renewing after your card expires adds a $1 late fee.
You leave withCard by mail, up to 45 daysMost cards arrive in 14-20 days, but it can take up to 45. A temporary license printed on thermal paper is not an acceptable form of identification.

Your situation

Do you have a Kansas driver's license or ID card now?

A Kansas REAL ID has a gold star in the upper right corner. A card marked "Not for Federal ID" is not a REAL ID.

Are you a U.S. citizen?
If you don't have a REAL ID yet: is your current legal name different from the name on your birth certificate, passport or immigration document?

For example, your birth certificate shows your name before marriage. If your card already has the gold star, answer the first question instead.

Your plan

  1. Gather your documents

    • Accepted documents (bring 1)
      • State-issued birth certificate (not hospital, city or Bureau of Census records, birth registration cards or foreign-born birth certificates)
      • Unexpired U.S. passport or passport card
      • Certificate of Naturalization
      • Certificate of Citizenship
      • U.S. Consular Report of Birth Abroad (FS-240)
    • Accepted documents (bring 1)
      • Social Security card (legible, with your current full name, not laminated)
      • Current W-2 or 1099 showing your full number
      • Current pay stub showing your full number
      • Form 1040 or tax return showing your full number
    • Accepted documents (bring 2)
      • Cancelled mail
      • USPS change of address form or confirmation
      • Utility bill (the Division's documents list says no more than two months old)
      • Rent or lease agreement
      • Kansas license or ID renewal postcard
      • Kansas vehicle registration or title
      • Bank statement, deed or mortgage

  2. Check whether your documents are on file

    Kansas has scanned documents since 2012. Run a driver's license status check: if the Real ID section says yes, the Division already has what it needs and you can visit an office for the upgrade. If it says no, bring the documents on your checklist.

    Driver's License Status Check ↗

  3. Print the document checklist

    Use form DE-56A to check every document. They must be originals or certified copies: faxed, photocopied, laminated or electronic copies are not accepted.

    Checklist DE-56A (PDF) ↗

  4. Book an appointment

    Appointments are recommended and receive priority. The appointment page links to scheduling for each office. Ten larger offices also let you get in line online; you must still check in when you arrive, and if the office reaches capacity before you check in, you may not be served that day.

    Appointment information on ksrevenue.gov ↗

  5. Visit a driver's license office

    You can add REAL ID at any time, and you can renew up to one year before your card expires (unless you're under 21). A renewal includes a vision exam and a new photo.

  6. Watch your mail

    Cards are mailed without tracking and are not forwarded if you move. Most arrive in 14-20 days; if yours hasn't come after 45 days, visit an office with your temporary license and a proof of current address.

    Driver's license FAQs ↗

Common reasons people get turned away

  • Photocopies, notarized copies, faxed, laminated or electronic documents. A laminated Social Security card is not accepted either.
  • A hospital-issued birth certificate instead of a certified state-issued one.
  • Address proofs that are junk mail, personal letters, older than a year, not in your name, or show only a P.O. Box.
  • Bringing only some documents: the Division says documents you bring now have to be brought again with the missing ones.

Offices that issue REAL ID

The Kansas Division of Vehicles says to visit a driver's license office to get the REAL ID upgrade; its Topeka and Edgerton sites are listed only for CDL skills tests, and county treasurer offices describe their driver's license services as limited without saying whether they add REAL ID. Agency source.

44 offices in Kansas
172 other offices that handle licenses

Neither the office's service list nor the agency says these offices issue REAL ID. Call the office before you go.

Results show offices that issue REAL ID or may, nearest first, each labelled.

Read more

Sources · checked October 30, 2026

We wrote this plan ourselves from the official pages above on the date shown. Agencies change rules without notice: the official page always wins. DMVorganization.org is independent and not a government agency; we don't book appointments or take payments.