New KY Driver's Licenses Will Comply With Federal REAL ID Requirements

Tuesday, September 25, 2018 at 2:33 PM

By Mike Perleberg @mikedup84

The new licenses will be issued for the first time next January.

(Frankfort, Ky.) - Kentucky driver's licenses are getting a facelift next year.

The Kentucky Department of Vehicle Registration debuted the new look Monday at the Louisville airport. The state will roll out the new driver's license and state I.D. designs in January.

According to the department, there will be two versions of the new ID cards. One is a standard credential. The other is a Voluntary Travel ID credential, which has all the benefits of a standard credential plus they are federally accepted to board airline flights and access restricted federal facilities once REAL ID enforcement begins nationwide on October 1, 2020.

Kentucky is among the last states to update its licenses to comply with the REAL ID Act, passed in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Licenses will no longer be in color and feature laser-engraved gray images that officials say will be harder to reproduce.

What Kentuckians pay for their IDs will increase. The standard ID will cost $43, with the travel credential costing $48. Currently, licenses in the state cost $20.

The new licenses will be valid for eight years.