Louisiana REAL ID Identification Card Requirements

To get a Louisiana REAL ID identification card, you need to visit an Office of Motor Vehicles location in person with documents proving four things: your identity and lawful presence in the United States, your Social Security number, and your Louisiana address (shown on two separate documents). The Louisiana REAL ID identification card requirements are stricter than those for a standard state ID, and for most adults the total cost runs about $22. A compliant card is marked with a gold circle and star cutout in the upper right corner.¹

Documents You Need to Bring

You have to prove four things at the counter. One document can cover more than one requirement. A certified U.S. birth certificate, for example, establishes identity, lawful status, and date of birth in a single piece of paper.²

Identity and Lawful Status

Bring one of the following:

Valid U.S. passport or passport card
Certified birth certificate issued by a U.S. state, territory, or the District of Columbia (Puerto Rico certificates must be issued after July 1, 2010)
Consular Report of Birth Abroad (Form FS-240, DS-1350, or FS-545)
Certificate of Naturalization (Form N-550 or N-570)
Certificate of Citizenship (Form N-560 or N-561)

Non-citizens must show proof of identity and lawful immigration status; a single immigration document often satisfies both.² A lawfully present non-citizen receives a limited-term card that expires when the underlying immigration documents expire, or six years after issuance, whichever comes first, and it carries a restriction code identifying the holder as a nonresident alien or alien student.³

Social Security Number

You must provide your Social Security number, and you can give it verbally at the counter. The OMV verifies it electronically through the Social Security Administration.² Bring your Social Security card anyway in case the verification system is offline.

Two Proofs of Louisiana Residency

You need two separate documents showing your name and a Louisiana street address. A P.O. Box will not work. Utility bills, insurance policies, and property tax receipts are the usual choices. Every residency document must be dated within the last 60 days, and every one must be an original or a certified copy. Photocopies and photos on a phone screen are not accepted.¹

Applying in Person

There is no online-only path for a first-time REAL ID identification card. You have to appear at an OMV office. Schedule ahead through omvappointments.com to pick a date, time, and location rather than waiting on standby.

At the office, you’ll complete an application asking for your full legal name, residential address, date of birth, and physical descriptors like height, weight, and eye color.⁴ An agent will review your documents and take a new photograph. If you’re transferring from an out-of-state license, you’ll have to surrender that credential.⁵

Minors can get an identification card, including children under 16. For applicants 16 and younger, a parent or legal guardian must be present, produce the required documents, and sign the application. Children 15 and under can choose a two-year or four-year card under the state’s Protect and Save our Children Program.

What It Costs

The fee has two parts. The base fee under RS 40:1321 is $10 for applicants 16 and older. Children under 16 pay $3 for a two-year card or $5 for a four-year card. A separate $12 handling charge under RS 32:412.1 applies to every new application, renewal, or duplicate.⁶ For a typical adult, that comes out to around $22. Privatized OMV locations may add their own service fees.

Residents 60 and older can get an identification card with the base fee waived. The base fee is also waived if you don’t hold a Louisiana driver’s license and present a voter registration card, and for foster care children.³ The $12 handling charge may still apply even when the base fee is waived, and privatized offices set their own waiver practices.

OMV offices accept credit cards, debit cards, cash, money orders, electronic funds transfers, and e-checks.⁷

When Your Card Arrives

You will not walk out with the permanent card. The OMV gives you a temporary paper receipt at the counter and mails the finished card, which is produced at a secure facility. Delivery can take up to 30 days.⁸

If the card hasn’t arrived 30 days after you applied, you have 60 days from the application date to visit a field office for a free replacement.⁸ Miss that 60-day window and you’ll pay the full duplicate fee. The paper receipt is not a REAL ID for TSA purposes, so if you’re flying during the waiting period, bring a passport or another accepted federal ID.

Whether You Actually Need One

Federal REAL ID enforcement began May 7, 2025. Since then, air travelers 18 and older must show a REAL ID-compliant credential or another accepted federal ID at TSA checkpoints, and the same rule applies to entering certain federal facilities.⁹ A Louisiana ID marked “Not for Federal Identification” will not clear the checkpoint on its own.¹

A REAL ID identification card is not the only way to comply. A valid U.S. passport, passport card, military ID, DHS trusted traveler card, permanent resident card, foreign passport, federally recognized tribal ID, or Veteran Health Identification Card all satisfy TSA on their own.¹⁰ If you already carry one of those, you don’t need to get a REAL ID card for travel.

Louisiana’s LA Wallet app is also on TSA’s list of accepted digital IDs at participating airports, but only if it’s based on a REAL ID-compliant credential.¹¹ TSA still recommends carrying the physical card as backup.

1
Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles. REAL ID
2
Louisiana Department of Public Safety. Louisiana Department of Public Safety Office of Motor Vehicles REAL ID Policy
3
Louisiana State Legislature. Louisiana Revised Statutes 40:1321
4
Louisiana State Legislature. Louisiana Revised Statutes 32:410
5
Louisiana Department of Public Safety. Louisiana Department of Public Safety Office of Motor Vehicles Policy 6.00 Identification Requirements
6
Louisiana State Legislature. Louisiana Revised Statutes 32:412.1
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Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles. Mailing and Delivery Info
8
Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles. Louisiana Identification Card Renewal
9
Transportation Security Administration. TSA Reminds Public of REAL ID Enforcement Deadline of May 7, 2025
10
Transportation Security Administration. Acceptable Identification at the TSA Checkpoint
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Transportation Security Administration. Participating States and Eligible Digital IDs