AUGUSTA — The Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles has begun offering Real ID-compliant driver’s licenses.
The federal Real ID law was passed by Congress after the 2001 terrorist attacks to strengthen rules for government-sanctioned identification.
Maine was the first state to opt out of the Real ID program more than a decade ago, but Republican Gov. Paul LePage signed a bill into law last year directing the state to issue driver’s licenses and non-driver identification cards that meet the new standard.
Mainers can still opt for regular driver’s licenses, but they won’t be valid for boarding commercial aircraft and accessing federal facilities. The Department of Homeland Security won’t begin enforcing Real ID until Oct. 1, 2020.
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