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New Yorkers Urged To Sign Up For 'REAL ID' Ahead Of Deadline

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- You'll soon need a new ID if you want to travel. In two years, a regular drivers license just wont cut it.

If you take to the skies or travel the high seas after October 2020 you'll need a suped up drivers license, called a Real ID, to travel if you don't want to use a passport.

"A fake drivers license is probably one of the easier things to obtain," Robert Sinclair Jr. from AAA Northeast said. "With this extra level of scrutiny and examination, it'll help to keep us safer."

The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles started a campaign to get people switched, saying the deadline is closer than many think. A free version of the new license will let you board a domestic flight. For an extra $30, an enhanced version can also be used in lieu of a passport to board a cruise ship or cross the border into Mexico and Canada.

The DMV is passing out flyers to let people know the rules of the new program. For most, the sticking point is they'll have to go in person to get the new license. The concept was born out of a recommendation after the 9/11 terror attacks. Nationwide security standards were established for what information was required to be attached to a drivers license.

The IDs will also be needed to get into federal buildings and military bases.

"It's an attempt to make sure all states are taking as many security measures as they can," DMV Executive Deputy Commissioner Theresa Egan said.

New Jersey has had Real ID in place for sometime. New Yorkers will soon be required to go in person to DMV and sign up too. For more information, visit the DMV's website.

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