The Lines Are Out The Door To Get The Star ID

March 14, 2025 - TUSCALOOSA, AL - With the requirement to have a STAR ID in order to fly domestic going into effect on May 07th, 2025, Alabamians are already flooding the State Trooper's Offices to upgrade their driver's licenses to a STAR ID. The lines were literally out of the door at the Tuscaloosa branch of the Alabama State Troopers Office this morning as people were in line to get their STAR ID. The wait was around an hour just to get inside of the door and then another hour to actually be seen. Once one was seen by the Driver's License Examiner, the process was fairly seamless.

To fly domestically beginning on May 07th, 2025, U.S. travelers ages eighteen and over will have to provide either their STAR ID or a passport in order to fly. And in order to obtain a STAR ID, one has to go to the State Troopers Office and provide either a passport or a birth certificate verifying one's identity, one's current driver's license, one's social security card, and two documents verifying one's address such as a power bill and a water bill.

Once one provides the Driver's License Examiner with all of the necessary documents, the examiner will make copies of them and then punch the words "VOID" into one's old driver's license before handing it back. The examiner will then verify one's address, height, and weight. The examiner will also ask if one wants to be an organ donor and who they wish to have listed as their emergency contact. The examiner will also follow up with a question regarding if one is registered to vote and depending on the answer the examiner will then ask if one wishes to register to vote. After the necessary data is obtained, one then stands in front of a blue background to get a new driver's license picture taken, hopefully with a talented photographer for a driver's license examiner. Then the required fee must be paid as there is a fee for purchasing the new STAR ID.

The fee for the new STAR ID is $31.25 accompanied by an additional surcharge of $2.50 for the processing fee if one pays with a debit or credit card. After all of the above, the examiner will then hand one a simple black and white temporary license that is printed on a sheet of paper and is valid for 30 days until the new plastic license arrives in the mail. As the May 07th, 2025 deadline comes closer, the demand for the new STAR IDs will only increase. So for those wishing to avoid a two hour wait in order to obtain one, it is advisable to register for an appointment online at http://www.alea.gov.

Provided one does not have to fly right on May 07th, 2025, one can still wait until afterwards to obtain a STAR ID. As STAR IDs will still be available for issuance after the May 07th, 2025 requirement goes into effect at an ALEA (Alabama Law Enforcement Agency) Examining Office.