Acceptable id for cruising

[sparks1093]

26 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

I am in NY state, and when I renewed my driver's license, I was asked if I wanted the EDL. When I told them I had a passport that at the time still had 9 years left on it, I was told I did not need the EDL. 

 

The post office is a federal building; will I need my passport to enter it? When and if I need to renew my passport, will I need to buy a lot of stamps since I will have to send in the passport and will not have it until the renewed one arrives?

If your post office has a guard that checks people's IDs then you would need a REAL ID compliant ID (and a passport may be used in lieu of that), but since most post office's don't have guards I'm guessing not. (The post office in Burlington, VT is a post office, has the federal court and federal offices. One may enter the post office without showing ID, but to get into the rest of the building one needs to show ID [and go through a metal detector]).

Edited April 14, 2022 by sparks1093

[chengkp75]

1 hour ago, ontheweb said:

I am in NY state, and when I renewed my driver's license, I was asked if I wanted the EDL. When I told them I had a passport that at the time still had 9 years left on it, I was told I did not need the EDL. 

 

The post office is a federal building; will I need my passport to enter it? When and if I need to renew my passport, will I need to buy a lot of stamps since I will have to send in the passport and will not have it until the renewed one arrives?

But, you should have asked for the Real ID license, which is still optional in New York.  The EDL costs $30 extra, but the Real ID costs nothing extra, just extra documentation to get it.  As Sparks says, federal buildings without security, like post offices, are accessible without a Real ID, but courthouses will be, and federal buildings like the USCG and other places will require Real ID.

[Ferry_Watcher]

The post office is open to the public.  You probably would need Real ID if you had an appointment with a federal employee in their office (but not until sometime in 2023).

It's like an airport, anyone can walk around the the public areas, but all adults need photo ID (soon to be Real ID) to enter the secured area past TSA screening.

[ontheweb]

5 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

But, you should have asked for the Real ID license, which is still optional in New York.  The EDL costs $30 extra, but the Real ID costs nothing extra, just extra documentation to get it.  As Sparks says, federal buildings without security, like post offices, are accessible without a Real ID, but courthouses will be, and federal buildings like the USCG and other places will require Real ID.

They only mentioned the EDL, and the fee when I asked. There was no mention of any free Real ID.

 

Would you consider coming out of retirement to work at my county's DMV? 🤣

[ldubs]

7 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

But, you should have asked for the Real ID license, which is still optional in New York.  The EDL costs $30 extra, but the Real ID costs nothing extra, just extra documentation to get it.  As Sparks says, federal buildings without security, like post offices, are accessible without a Real ID, but courthouses will be, and federal buildings like the USCG and other places will require Real ID.

 

Would you say a passport is also still acceptable in addition to Real ID?  

Edited April 14, 2022 by ldubs

[hallux]

35 minutes ago, ldubs said:

 

Would you say a passport is also still acceptable in addition to Real ID?  

For a cruise?  Without a doubt!

[ldubs]

11 minutes ago, hallux said:

For a cruise?  Without a doubt!

 

Thanks.  I meant to get into those gov't buildings Chengkp75 was mentioning in his post.   

[chengkp75]

1 hour ago, ldubs said:

 

Would you say a passport is also still acceptable in addition to Real ID?  

Sure, if you carry your passport around with you.  I don't tend to carry mine, but my DL is always with me.

[Charles4515]

13 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

Sure, if you carry your passport around with you.  I don't tend to carry mine, but my DL is always with me.

 

I have only been to a couple of federal buildings the last 10 years and I was a resident in the Washington DC  area. I have a Real ID licence actually had no option to not get Real Id but if I did not have a Real Id license I could easily have planned ahead and carried my passport for that occasion. The problem that I foresee is that states that make it optional will have residents who might have a big surprise in store when Real ID is enforced and they are attemptimg to go thru security whether at an airport or federal building.

[ldubs]

34 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

Sure, if you carry your passport around with you.  I don't tend to carry mine, but my DL is always with me.

 

I don't carry my passport unless I know I will need it.  I just wondered if I had missed something.    I will have to get the Real ID when  I renew my DL later this year -- assuming I pass the test, that is.