More than a dozen employees representing five MVD offices as well as technical support teams attended the recent two-day 2024 Maricopa County Stand Down event. Each employee provided identification assistance at the Arizona State Fairgrounds or many veterans in Arizona experiencing housing instability. 

Over the two days, the MVD team helped nearly 350 people with services including driver license duplicates, motor vehicle records, renewals and reinstatements.

Most people do not think about their driver license or ID card once it is in their wallet, but having a valid form of identification is crucial to verify identification when applying for jobs, services, rent or assistance. Veterans, and others, dealing with instability or homelessness need an ID card to receive services that can be extremely impactful towards a more stable housing opportunity. 

This yearly event, hosted by the Arizona Veterans StandDown Alliance, provides thousands of Arizona veterans with access to resources that improve their lives and help them achieve stability.

More information about these events is available at the Arizona Housing Coalition website.

2025? Who's thinking about 2025 yet? You are probably getting used to this new year and still putting down 2023 for the date before quickly correcting it. So 2025 may seem like it is way off in the distance. But next year – yes, 2025 is next year – is when the federal government will begin requiring enhanced identification for commercial air travel. 

If you have not heard about this, or forgot with the deadline extension, the Arizona Travel ID is a driver license or ID card, as well as a federally-compliant credential, that will be required for gaining clearance past TSA and at restricted federally secured facilities. You may ask how that impacts you if you don’t go to federal buildings.

Beginning May 7, 2025, you will need a federally compliant credential -- like the Arizona Travel ID -- to get past TSA checkpoints at airports for domestic flights. Without the Arizona Travel ID or other form of federally compliant identification such as a valid U.S. passport, you risk missing an airline flight because the standard driver license will not be accepted at TSA checkpoints. 

The Arizona Travel ID requires more documentation than a standard driver license. You can walk into an MVD office for this service, but we suggest scheduling an appointment at azmvdnow.gov. You will need to show proof of identity, proof of Arizona residency and provide your Social Security number. For a full list of credentials and documents that meet these requirements, please visit azdot.gov/TravelID. 

This credential, distinguished by a gold star in the upper right corner, is available to Arizona residents as a driver license or identification card. 

You will be issued a new ID that will come in the mail in about two weeks. Your old license or ID will no longer be valid. The cost is $25 and the credential is valid for eight years, per federal law.

2025 might feel like a long way away, but it’ll be here quickly. Don’t risk missing out on life’s journey, join the  2.2 million Arizonans who have upgraded to the Arizona Travel ID.