THE issuance of REAL ID driver’s licenses was delayed because of technical issues involving the vendor, Bureau of Motor Vehicles Director Eric David said on Wednesday.
He earlier said that REAL ID driver’s licenses would be issued again starting Wednesday.
But some applicants told Variety that when they went to the BMV, they were told there was “a U.S. Transportation Security Administration problem.”
The federal REAL ID Act of 2005 establishes minimum security standards for license issuance and production and prohibits certain federal agencies from accepting, for certain purposes, driver’s licenses and identification cards from states that do not meet the Act’s minimum standards.
According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, by May 7, 2025, U.S. travelers must be REAL ID-compliant to board domestic flights and access certain federal facilities.
In an official statement on Wednesday, David said: “In the recent strive to be in compliance with the Real ID Act, the Department of Public Safety’s Bureau of Motor Vehicles has encountered issues during this morning’s implementation.”
“To be transparent,” he added, “the Bureau of Motor Vehicles would like to assure the community that BMV is ready to implement the processing of REAL IDs. However, unforeseen technical issues with the contracted vendor were identified and have since caused delays. These issues are also being experienced by other jurisdictions. The vendor is expected to resolve these issues within 90 days.”
In the meantime, he said, “BMV will continue to process CNMI driver’s licenses as usual. During this 90-day period, BMV will continue to educate the public on the requirements of procuring a REAL ID. Once the identified issues have been resolved, a Public Advisory (PA) will be issued to provide additional information and guidance. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation during this time and will keep the community informed of any developments.”
Variety learned that the BMV on Tuesday was assured by its vendor, Veridos North America, that there would be no “hiccups.”
Variety was unable to get a comment from Veridos North America as of press time Wednesday afternoon.
DPS suspended the issuance of REAL IDs in December 2022 due to compliance issues, chief among them was that the REAL ID issued in the CNMI did not work.
Valid U.S. Identity Solutions was the DPS contractor for the issuance of the REAL ID driver’s license in 2017. In 2023, the contractor was bought by Veridos North America, which is the current DPS vendor.
For more information, contact the Bureau of Motor Vehicles at (670) 664-9069.
