GLEN BURNIE, Md. — On Friday at MVA headquarters in Glen Burnie, Md., people with appointments said they waited more than four hours to renew their driver's license.
"You're in for a treat," cynically quipped McKenna Barton who had just completed the renewal process.
Barton had just experienced the unique hell that complying with the U.S. Real ID Act has created in Maryland, which requires citizens to produce four separate documents to prove identity and residence from a checklist of at least 43 possible items.
The documents, such as passports, original birth certificates, W-2 forms, social security cards and utility bills, are required even if you have held a drivers license for decades and renewed without question in the past.
At least 60 percent of Maryland's three million licensed drivers are still not processed for Real ID renewal, according to MarylandReporter.com.
The state has until October 2020 to get the job done.
Real ID Act was passed by Congress after 9-11.
Travelers without Real ID Act compliant identification could be turned away from TSA checkpoints after the deadline date.
Maryland as created an interactive website to walk you through the process of collecting, verifying and preparing the needed documents before you attempt to renew your license.
Once the tasks are complete, you may schedule a renewal appointment using the website's online tool.
"My advice to you is to go online," said Felicia Agen-Davis who had been turned away from an MVA counter Friday because she did not come with the correct paperwork.
"I'm frustrated and I'm angry," Agen-Davis said.
Real ID Act complaint licenses in Maryland are marked with a star, but even some of those may require additional documentation if they were issued in 2016 and 2017, according to MarylandReporter.com.