Sacramento – The Department of Homeland Security has confirmed with the California Department of Motor Vehicles that it will grant an extension on REAL ID compliance to April 1, 2019, the DMV announced Wednesday.

The previous deadline for compliance was Thursday, Jan. 10.

This extension allows all valid California driver licenses and identification cards to continue to be accepted for federal purposes, such as boarding commercial aircraft and entering federal facilities.

This extension, however, most likely will not be reflected on the DHS website until the partial federal shutdown ends.

Passed by Congress in 2005, the REAL ID Act enacted the 9/11 Commission’s recommendation that the federal government “set standards for the issuance of sources of identification, such as driver’s licenses.”

The Act established minimum security standards for state-issued driver’s licenses and identification cards and prohibits federal agencies from accepting for official purposes licenses and identification cards from states that do not meet these standards.

States have made considerable progress in meeting this key recommendation of the 9/11 Commission and every state has a more secure driver’s license today than before the passage of the Act.

For more information, visit REALID.dmv.ca.gov or the READ ID FAQ page.