The REAL scoop on Tennessee’s REAL ID

I applied for my new Tennessee Real ID, and lived to tell about it. That’s the new drivers license, with a gold star on it. There’s been a bit of a rush on it, even though it isn’t required (for certain things) until October 1, 2020. (For whatever reasons, this has already been taken care of during the past few years for Alabama and Georgia residents. This law was passed in 2005, and those two states began doing this several years ago. Why Tennessee waited until almost the last minute, I have no idea.)

The Real ID Act of 2005 established minimum security standards for license issuance and production. These standards provide an additional level of security to protect your identity.

Let’s get that “certain things” out of the way first. This may keep you from waiting in line unnecessarily. If you have a current Tennessee drivers license, and you never get on an airplane, and you have no need to enter a federal building, you’re good. And if you have that current drivers license, and you have a passport, you have nothing to worry about. Same goes if you have a military ID.

So, to put it simply, there is no rush to do what I did. You don’t HAVE to go to the nearest drivers license testing center, or to the Hamilton County Clerk’s office in the courthouse, if your current drivers license still has plenty of time on it.

Why did I go, just a few weeks after they began issuing the Real ID in July? First, curiosity. There seemed to be a lot of confusion, and I wanted to save you some trouble. I took a day off from work to do this, and that turned out to be a good idea. Second, I don’t have a current passport, and I don’t think I’ll need one for the foreseeable future. But sometime after October 1, 2020, I probably will want to fly domestically, so I’m one of those folks who WILL need the Real ID. Yes, it’s more than a year away, but I got it over with. My drivers license was not due to expire until 2023, so I needed to take care of this before October 1, 2020. Check your expiration date. You may need to do the same, IF you don’t have a passport or military ID.

If you’re like me, with no passport, and some time to kill, let me share some do’s and don’ts, and we can all learn from my mistakes.

1. You must bring proof of citizenship. If you’re going to bring a birth certificate, don’t do what I did, the first time I entered the drivers license center. I thought one of those little “microfilm” copies would suffice, but it does not. You need to bring an actual, state issued birth certificate. After I was turned away, I remembered that I had to order a “new” one from the state of Alabama (with the raised seal) a few years ago. So I dug that one up.

2. You must bring proof of Social Security number. Incredibly, I had my Social Security card filed with my birth certificate. However, many people don’t. If you don’t have it, you may bring a W2, a 1099, a payroll check or similar document, but it MUST have your complete Social Security number printed out. They will NOT accept anything with a partial number, such as the last four digits.

3. You must bring two (2) proofs of Tennessee residency. Find a home utility bill or two (gas, electric, water) from the past four months. You can also use your vehicle registration or title (just one, not both), your voter registration card, current IRS tax return, bank statement, payroll check stub, rental mortgage contract or receipt, homeowner insurance policy… you get the idea. A couple of current documents that prove you live in Tennessee.

For all these documents, they insist on originals, not photocopies.

Here’s some additional advice, so you only have to do this once:

if you are a female and using a birth certificate, you will need a marriage certificate as well. I have been told by a friend that married, divorced, or widowed women who need a Real ID, need to show why their name changed, so bring your marriage certificate.

Don’t be in a hurry. This will most likely NOT be an “in and out” visit. I went on a quiet Tuesday afternoon in July to the testing center in Red Bank. There were six clerks, and they were all busy, but getting to talk to them did not require a long wait. However: in addition to people like me, in search of a Real ID, there was the usual group of folks whose licenses were about to expire, and they were simply applying for renewal. Plus, there were a few teens getting ready to take their driving test, and get their first-ever license.

As one of the workers confided in me, they could use a little extra help, and at that time, the state had not provided any. So once you tell a clerk what you need, you have to do a little paperwork, then visit one of the two kiosks (there should be more of them), navigate the touch screen, MANUALLY enter your credit card info (you cannot swipe or insert your card), and then wait for your number to be called.

The day I was there, a sweet elderly couple had difficulty navigating the computer screen, and asked various bystanders to help them. There were no state employees available to do so. I was embarrassed for the couple, not for their lack of computer skills, but because total strangers were entering the couple’s credit card numbers, their security codes, and other private information. The state really should have an extra employee or two to help folks who have never used these devices before. If you have elderly parents or friends who might have similar issues, you may want to accompany them.

With that said, I would go early in the day. The centers open at 8:30. Lots of folks do what I did, and go after lunch, thinking no one else will do that. Not a good idea.

GOOD NEWS: As of early August, the Hamilton County Clerk’s office in the courthouse is also issuing the Real IDs, and hopefully that will ease some of the congestion at the centers in Red Bank, and on Bonny Oaks Drive. I have also been told that the Marion County drivers license center in Jasper is not as crowded, if you don’t mind making the trip. Same goes for Cleveland, and other surrounding areas.

So, to sum it up: be patient, don’t be in a big hurry, and choose a day when you have some hours to kill. Since my visit, I’ve heard a horror story or two about the servers being down, and people being told there was a four-hour wait the moment they walked in the door. That’s not the rule, that’s an exception. But again, this is not an “in and out” chore.

Staff members I encountered were helpful, but definitely overworked. I have told some state officials about this, and I’m told they’re keeping a watchful eye on the situation. After all, this is new for them too.

I hope this is helpful if you’re planning to get your Real ID soon. If you have more questions, the state has done a good job with some FAQs on the web, here: https://www.tn.gov/tnrealid/requirements.html