How Long Island residents are scrambling to get REAL ID before Wednesday deadline

Brenda Lubrano waited a month to secure one of the hottest tickets on Long Island: an appointment at the Department of Motor Vehicles to get a REAL ID-compliant driver's license.

But when Lubrano, 70, arrived at the Bethpage DMV to get the identification — which will be needed to fly domestically in the United States beginning Wednesday absent a valid passport — she learned she'd failed to bring her Social Security card and would have to return home to Massapequa to retrieve it.

"It's an important thing that I have to do," Lubrano, who travels regularly to Michigan to visit her son, said of REAL ID as she prepared to race to her car in a blistering rainstorm. "I gotta have it if I want to travel."

Lubrano is not alone.

Across the state and throughout Long Island, New Yorkers were scrambling Monday to get a REAL ID, or an enhanced license, permit, or nondriver identification card, which allows holders to also cross land and sea borders from the United States into Mexico, Canada and some Caribbean nations.

Appointments tough to find

But good luck getting an appointment at a Long Island DMV location.

DMVs in Bethpage, Garden City and Massapequa were showing virtually no openings Monday through the end of August.

Suffolk was only slightly better with the Hauppauge, Huntington, Medford and Riverhead DMV locations listing a handful of openings over the next four months. 

But DMV officials said they're opening new slots daily and recommend New Yorkers keep trying to find a spot through the online portal, although they encourage people who don’t immediately need the more secure license to wait until after Wednesday's deadline.

To date, about 6.9 million New Yorkers — or about 45% of the state's population with a permit, license or nondriver identification — now have a REAL ID-compliant document, said Tim O’Brien, a spokesman for the state DMV. In addition, 12.7 million New Yorkers have a passport, he said.

Rich and Robin Zweiback, of East Meadow, were among the lucky ones Monday. The couple had back-to-back appointments at the Bethpage DMV after hearing about the looming deadline.

"It wasn't a hassle," she said of the process. "It was easy."

Air travel passengers will still be able to use their passports for identification Wednesday and beyond.

But travelers who show up at one of the region's airports beginning Wednesday without a REAL or enhanced ID, or a valid passport — including TSA PreCheck passengers — could face "delays, additional screening and the possibility of not being permitted into the security checkpoint," Transportation Security Administration spokesperson Lisa Farbstein warns.

After applying for the REAL or enhanced ID, individuals will receive a temporary document that, combined with an old driver's license, can be used for travel, Farbstein said.

It takes about two weeks for the permanent document to arrive in the mail. 

While there is no cost to get a REAL ID — an enhanced ID will set you back $30 — there are added fees potentially associated with early license renewal, along with other transactional costs, such as a Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District Fee.

'Eventually I'll get it done'

At Long Island MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma on Monday morning, several Long Islanders told Newsday they're in no rush to get their Real ID, with some saying they already have a passport and others citing the additional fees.

While waiting for family at the airport, Moses Carlo, 73, of Bay Shore, said he'll upgrade his license closer to its expiration date and when the frenzy over the deadline passes.

"It’s for our own protection for all the flying people so it’s good to have," Carlo said. "I’m all for it. I know it’s going to be a nightmare but eventually I’ll get it done."

At MacArthur, signs near the check-in area prepped flyers for the changes. The sign read: "Are you REAL ID ready? You may be denied access through the checkpoint, subject to additional security measures, or experience extended delays if you do not have a REAL ID or other acceptable form of ID beginning May 7, 2025."

Nancy Tamburro, 64, of Nesconset, flew back from Florida on Monday and said she has no plans on getting a REAL ID.

"I have a passport. I didn’t want to pay the extra money," she said. "If I have to travel I’ll just take my passport with me ... Maybe in the future I’ll break down and get it too but I doubt it." 

Chris Mele, 69, of Smithtown, said he used his license to fly out to Florida last week before returning Monday. He plans to use his passport card to fly moving forward.

"Anything that improves security is good especially in this day and age," Mele said.

Airports staffed and ready

Roughly 81% of travelers at TSA checkpoints nationwide currently present an acceptable identification, including a state-issued REAL ID, federal officials said.

On Friday, Gov. Kathy Hochul wrote to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem seeking additional TSA officers at Kennedy and LaGuardia airports to ensure a smooth transition to REAL ID.

"Without these additional Transportation Security Officers, these airports face a particular risk of disruptions as TSA personnel deal with large numbers of passengers adjusting to the new requirements," Hochul wrote.

But in a statement to Newsday, Farbstein said TSA is "fully staffed and prepared to handle the passenger volume at JFK and LGA airports (and other airports) once the REAL ID enforcement begins. TSA will enforce REAL ID in a manner that minimizes the impact to overall operations, especially for those passengers who are prepared with their REAL ID, passport or other acceptable form of ID."

TSA expects the number of passengers obtaining REAL IDs to steadily increase even after the deadline, Farbstein said, adding that additional screening measures will continue for those without the upgraded document until it's no longer considered a security vulnerability.

Marino Peros, 62, of Whitestone, Queens, who arrived at the Bethpage DMV Monday to return license plates, was disappointed to learn he'd potentially have to wait several months to get an appointment to secure a REAL ID.

"Until then," he said, "I guess I'll just use my passport."