Wisconsin
How to get a Real ID in Wisconsin as new requirements start
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Adults who plan to fly within the U.S. or visit a military base or federal buildings on or after Wednesday, May 7, will need a Real ID or other Transit Security Administration-approved documentation.
Here’s what you need to know to get a Real ID in Wisconsin before enforcement begins.
What is a Real ID?
AReal ID is a state-issued driver’s license or identification card that meets security standards of the federal REAL ID Act, which Congress enacted in 2005.
Wisconsin-issued Real IDs are marked with a star in the upper right corner. You can check if your Wisconsin ID is a Real ID here.
Over 64% of Wisconsin residents now have a federally compliant driver’s license or ID card, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation Division of Motor Vehicles.
Can I still use another ID?
Starting May 7, a Real ID-compliant driver’s license or identification card, or another TSA-acceptable form of identification, will be required for domestic air travel or visiting U.S. military bases or federal buildings.
The Wisconsin DMV offers both Real IDs and non-compliant IDs.
You do not have to apply for a Real ID if you have no plans to fly or visit a federal building, or if you have another accepted form of identification, like a valid U.S. passport.
You can continue to use your current driver’s license or ID for other identification purposes until its expiration date.
How to get a Real ID
You can apply to get a Real ID online or through a local branch of the Wisconsin DMV.
Using the DMV’s interactive driver licensing guide, you can start an application online, print out a checklist of required documents and schedule an appointment.
Appointments are not required, but the DMV is seeing an increase in visitors as the Real ID enforcement deadline approaches, a department spokesperson said.
What documents do I need to bring?
When you apply, you must provide additional documentation in the form of an original document or certified copy (not a photocopy, fax or scan) from each of the following categories, according to the Department of Transportation.
Some documents can apply to multiple categories, but others may only meet the requirements of one category.
The document categories include:
How to get a copy of your birth certificate or name change documents?
If you were born in Wisconsin, you or an immediate family member can request a copy of your birth certificate online through the Department of Health Services..
This process also requires forms of identification. The cost of the certificate is $20, plus $3 per additional copy.
If you are a U.S. citizen born outside Wisconsin and need a birth certificate, check this guidance.
The simplest way to provide proof of a name change is to bring a valid, unexpired U.S. passport in your current name when you apply for a Real ID. If you don’t have that, you will need to provide documents to support each name change from birth to the current date.
How will the TSA enforce the deadline?
Travelers planning to fly within the U.S. without compliant identification could face delays, additional screening and possibly not be allowed into an airport security checkpoint, according to the Transportation Security Administration.
TSA accepts some other forms of identification.
Minors are not required to have a Real ID, but it is required of adults accompanying them to travel.
Meredith Melland is the neighborhoods reporter for the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service and a corps member of Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities. Report for America plays no role in editorial decisions in the NNS newsroom.
Scott Walker signs Act 10 in 2011
March 11, 2011: Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker signs a bill that ends collective bargaining for most public union employees during a ceremony Thursday at the Capitol in Madison.
The Post-Crescent
- The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that UW Health is not legally obligated to recognize its nurses’ union or bargain collectively.
- Act 10, a 2011 law, effectively ended collective bargaining for most public employees in Wisconsin, including UW Health nurses.
- The ruling upholds previous decisions by lower courts and the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission.
- UW Health nurses argued the hospital operates like a private entity and should be subject to collective bargaining laws, but the court disagreed.
MADISON – UW Health is not legally required to recognize its nurses’ union or engage in collective bargaining, a unanimous state Supreme Court ruled.
“When we examine the statutory language along with the statutory history, we conclude that Act 10 ended the collective bargaining requirements formerly placed on the (University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics) Authority,” wrote Justice Brian Hagedorn in an opinion released June 27.
The court’s ruling upholds previous decisions by the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission and a Dane County Circuit Court judge.
It also brings to the fore the lasting impact of Act 10, the 2011 state law engineered by Republican former Gov. Scott Walker that effectively ended collective bargaining for public employees in Wisconsin. Hagedorn, the author of the court’s unanimous opinion, provided legal counsel in the creation and defense of the law, and Jacob Frost, the Dane County judge who previously ruled in UW Health’s favor, appeared to have signed a petition to recall Walker over the law
The Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission ruled in November 2022 that UW Health is not required by law to recognize UW Health nurses’ union or to engage in collective bargaining. The union had been formed a few months prior to the commisssion’s ruling, with help from SEIU Healthcare Wisconsin.
UW Health nurses’ last union contract expired in 2014. At the time, UW Health said Act 10 — a 2011 state law that eliminated most collective bargaining rights for public employee unions — barred it from negotiating a new contract. Nurses countered that hospital management — acting as an independent body — could choose to recognize the union and bargain with it.
Fueled in part by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses’ efforts to unionize also followed cost-cutting measures that raised concerns about staffing and patient care. While UW Health administrators agreed problems existed, they said Act 10 prevented unionization as part of the solution.
UW Health and SEIU petitioned the state’s employment relations commission in 2022 as part of an agreement brokered by Gov. Tony Evers, asking the commission to determine whether the Wisconsin Employment Peace Act applies to the hospital. If the Peace Act — a chapter of state law governing collective bargaining — were determined to apply, UW Health would have to bargain with the union.
Both the commission and a Dane County Circuit Court judge ruled UW Health was not covered under the Peace Act and, as such, not required to work with the nurses’ union.
Attorneys for the nurses argued to the Supreme Court in February that the hospital functions like a private employer, and therefore should be governed by the Peace Act. UW Health attorneys countered that the legislative intent of Act 10 was clearly understood to dismantle unions and, despite the fact UW Hospitals and Clinics Authority was created in the mid-1990s as a quasi-government entity, lawmakers in passing Act 10 made clear it was included and considered a public entity.
“Taken together, the effect of the legislature’s changes in Act 10 are no mystery. When it created the Authority, the legislature added the Authority as an employer under the Peace Act and imposed numerous other collective bargaining provisions,” Hagedorn wrote. “In Act 10, the legislature eliminated the Authority as a covered employer along with other collective bargaining requirements. We therefore hold that the Authority is no longer covered by the Peace Act and is not required to collectively bargain under the Peace Act.”
Jessica Van Egeren of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel contributed.
Jessie Opoien can be reached at jessie.opoien@jrn.com.
(This story has been updated to add new information.)
Video interview with Wisconsin football recruit Nate White
Milwaukee King senior Nate White was one of 14 players who signed with Wisconsin on the first day of the early signing period for college football.
Mark Stewart, Wochit
The Brookings, South Dakota, Police Department is investigating the death of Nate White, a former University of Wisconsin football player and Rufus King High School graduate.
White, 20, died June 25 at his apartment in Brookings, where he was a student-athlete at South Dakota State.
White’s roommate called 911 at around 6:44 a.m. to report that White wasn’t breathing and was unresponsive in his bed, according to a police news release.
An autopsy will be conducted and the Brookings Register reported that results can take between three and four weeks.
A standout at Rufus King, White transferred to South Dakota State in January after two years with the Badgers.
“News of Nate White’s tragic passing has been sad and difficult to comprehend for all of the Wisconsin Badger Football family,” Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell said. “We remember Nate as a friend and teammate and we stand in support of Nate’s family and loved ones.”
Several Badgers players, along with those in the Madison and Milwaukee communities who knew White, also posted about his death on social media.
White played running back in South Dakota’s State spring practice after playing wide receiver last season at Wisconsin.
“Jackrabbit football is a brotherhood and today we are all hurting with the shocking news of the loss of Nate White,” SDSU coach Dan Jackson said. “Nate impacted our program with his hard work, determination and overall positive spirit. We grieve with his family and will honor his memory throughout the upcoming season.”
At King, White ran for 1,345 yards and 26 touchdowns as a senior after being named the conference offensive player of the year as a quarterback, rushing for 1,163 yards and 22 touchdowns, as a junior.
This story has been updated to add video.
MILWAUKEE — Wisconsin native Kon Knueppel made history Wednesday night when the Charlotte Hornets selected him in the NBA draft, making him the highest draft pick ever from the state.
The former Wisconsin Lutheran High School star left an impressive legacy before moving on to Duke University and now the NBA.
Previous Coverage: Kon Knueppel is 4th overall NBA draft pick
Less than two years ago, he was celebrating a state championship with the Vikings.
At Wisconsin Lutheran High School Wednesday, friends, coaches, fans, and supporters gathered together for an NBA Draft Watch Party.
Former teammate Josiah Rice remembers Knueppel’s dedication during their time together.
Watch: Wisconsin Lutheran High School crowd buzzing as Knueppel drafted by Charlotte
Wisconsin Lutheran High School crowd buzzing as Knueppel drafted by Charlotte
“He was a very normal guy, but everything he did, he did hard. He was a hard worker. He was always in the gym coaching us too, just being a great teammate and all that,” Rice said.
Rice played alongside Knueppel in 2024 when the Vikings completed a perfect 30-0 season.
“It was just super fun to watch him play a lot of stuff. Great shooter, very athletic, surprisingly, but it was just super cool to see him on the court, and also for how he carries himself and stuff like that,” Rice said.
Mike Beiermeister
Knueppel’s senior year was filled with accolades. He led Wisconsin Lutheran to a state championship and was named Mr. Basketball for Wisconsin before heading to Duke University, where he helped the Blue Devils reach the Final Four.
His high school coach Ryan Walz expressed immense pride in Knueppel’s achievement.
“We’ve never had a kid ever be drafted before so I’m just — so much gratitude right now for being here and being able to share this moment with a lot of people who love Kon,” Walz said.
Mike Beiermeister
Tyson, a rising sophomore at Wisconsin Lutheran, looks up to Knueppel as a role model.
“He’s just, like, so strong, like, I can apply that to baseball, which I really like, and just keep working do the little things, right,” Tyson said.
Mike Beiermeister
The impact of Knueppel’s journey from high school standout to NBA draft pick has inspired many in the community.
“It’s actually pretty fun to see what God has given Kon of his abilities, you know, just to see him, like, go from all the way from freshman to senior, and then go to Duke. It’s pretty cool,” another student said.
During the draft watch event, Knueppel and his parents shared a special video message with the Wisconsin Lutheran community. He and his family were in New York for the draft.
“I really appreciate all of you being here and supporting me on this journey,” Knueppel told the gathered crowd.
Knueppel surpassed Wauwatosa East and Wisconsin Badgers star Devin Harris as the highest draft pick from Wisconsin. Harris was taken fifth in 2004 NBA Draft.
This story was reported on-air by Mike Beiermeister and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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