FWIW-It is BY FAR easier to renew the passport than to get real ID. I went thru that shit last year. Since I took my wife's last name when we married, and she changed hers in CA before that, they wanted a metric ton of paperwork. I walked out, went home and got my expired passport, and went to the Post Office. It took ten minutes at my little PO to submit the renewal, and I ordered the "card" type passport for my wallet, which gets me on domestic flights. If I wanted to (I don't) I could take the passport to the real ID place and get one now, but I don't want to give those feces ingesting morons any more money. BTW, RealID came about as a result of 9/11, but it took over two decades to implement. Glad we weren't under attack or anything.

I can top all the government stupidity.

Got my daugter a REAL ID identification so we could take a flight. Wasn't necessary but I figured it would be easier and may as well get it out of the way since you only have to do it once (so I thought).

Went back two months later to get her learner's permit. Customer service agent asks for proof of legal presence in the state. "What?" her address and my address are the same on our REAL ID's. Why would you need anything else?

Apparently, the DMV doesn't accept REAL ID's.

I just made an appointment to renew my DL next Monday, getting a time/date was easy. Much more challenging was slogging thru the "what to bring" page. We got Real ID (which was a real pain) several years ago, this time all I need to do is renew. At age 72, that requires an eye test.

The www site is ambiguous about what documents I need; To be on the safe side I'll bring along my passport, tax forms (with full SS number and address), retired mil ID, and current license. What could go wrong...

^^^^^
If you already have Real ID the only “documents” you’ll need are your current drivers license and your credit card. Possibly evidence of current state residency such as a recent utility bill addressed to you at your home.

I renewed my drivers license just a few weeks ago.

When I renewed my Oregon CCW license about 10 years ago, they told me "Next time we'll require your birth certificate or passport, your DL won't be enough." They didn't require either of those for the original CCW or for the renewal I'd just done, but OK. I've never had a passport so I had to get a certified copy of my birth certificate. I was born in Montana, and it turns out all you need to do is go online and submit a form with information about when and where you were born, and (IIRC) about your parents. And of course pay a fee. So a few weeks later I get a nice new certificate in the mail. The next time I went to renew my CCW, four years later, they didn't ask for it. Go figure. Oregon is one of the last holdouts on the RealID thing too.

quote:

Originally posted by Pipe Smoker:
^^^^^
If you already have Real ID the only “documents” you’ll need are your current drivers license and your credit card. ...

You were correct. We already had Real ID and I did not need any other documents. I renewed today, it was a breeze.

Not sure if this is Iowa only, but they asked me for a name and phone for an emergency contact. Good idea.