Video Real ID Deadline Approaches, Lawmakers Warn of Privacy Concerns
Fox News correspondent Chanley Painter reports on growing concerns among lawmakers and travelers as the deadline approaches for Real ID-compliant travel on planes.
Many married women across the country are reporting unexpected difficulties in obtaining a Real ID as the May 7 deadline for domestic flights approaches.
One of the common obstacles is the need to confirm a change of surname due to marriage without having the original marriage certificate, which is required for this confirmation.
The situation has become a logistical nightmare for Dorota Ballone, formerly Hotchkiss, of Rochester, N.Y., who told Fox News Digital this week about her efforts to obtain the original marriage license, which was issued 67 years ago.
The 90-year-old woman has been searching for the document since February after her first visit to the New York Department of Motor Vehicles ended in failure.
“I found all the necessary documents online: my social security card, my birth certificate, and also several proofs of residence, such as a utility bill, a bank statement, etc., as well as a marriage certificate,” Ballone noted.
A REAL ID sign informing travelers of the documents they need was spotted at an airport this week. (Fox News Digital)
“I had even more documents with me.”
She came to the DMV with a copy of her marriage certificate dated August 19, 1958, and a certification that the document was an exact photocopy of the original with a notary seal and all relevant information.
“I put all my documents on the counter and [the clerk] pulled out the marriage certificate and said, ‘I can’t accept this.’ I said, ‘Why?’ She said, ‘It’s a copy.’ I said, ‘That’s all I have.’ And she said, ‘No, I want the original,’” Ballone told Fox News Digital.
She began searching for the original marriage certificate, which turned out to be futile.
Ballone was told that she should contact the church to obtain the original.
She contacted the church in East Rochester where she had been married and was told they did not have marriage licenses from that long ago.
She then continued her efforts to obtain the original marriage certificate, contacting local clerk's offices, government officials, and even the Diocese of Rochester.
Eventually, the city of Rochester said they had the original marriage certificate and mailed it to them.
Some married women across the country are facing unexpected challenges trying to get their REAL ID before the May 7 deadline. (Fox News Digital)
According to her, the document she received was certified, but Ballone was again unable to obtain a real ID.
She told Fox News Digital that she reached out to her local assemblyman and an assistant commissioner of the New York City Department of Motor Vehicles.
Ballone noted that despite using her married name for decades and having a driver's license in her own name, the state continues to deny her application for a Real ID until she provides an official marriage certificate.
They heard from DMV staff that this was becoming a problem.
Ballone told Fox News Digital that two of her neighbors faced a similar situation when searching for original copies of their marriage certificates.
They said DMV employees confirmed that this had become a problem.
Fox News Digital reached out to the city of Rochester, New York.
This week, Fox News Digital spoke with travelers at Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., to get their thoughts on the REAL ID process with May 7 just a week away.
Alicia, from Minneapolis, Minnesota, told Fox News Digital that she also encountered problems
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