Rhode Island DMV offering limited Saturday hours for Real ID

The Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles will have limited Saturday hours for residents who want to get a Real ID driver's license or a Real ID identification card.

The federal government has changed the rules for people boarding planes.

Beginning Oct. 1, anyone boarding a plane, regardless of where they're flying, is to have a Real ID, a passport or military identification.

"We've only issued about 150,000 so far, so people are taking their time but it does mean things are going to get busy," said Paul Grimaldi, the spokesman for the DMV. "From what we've looked at, we will be issuing about 400,000 Real IDs from when they started issuing them in December of 2018 into next year."

The Cranston headquarters will be open 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturdays twice a month for Real ID transactions.

"We've decided to extend our office hours for Real ID transactions only," said Grimaldi. "We want to see if people like it and if the system works."

Unlike during the week, you can't just show up to the Cranston DMV you need to make a reservation online.

The confirmation of the reservation needs to be printed or shown on a phone once the reservation number is called at the DMV.

There will be no walk-ins allowed.

"I think it's great. I’m not actually sure why they don't do that already because so many people already conveniently have the weekend off," said Matthew Puddicombe, a Rhode Island resident. "Coming during the week is sometimes really inconvenient for people, sometimes they have to take off work and lose money that way."

"It'll make it a lot easier and appointments are a lot better than coming and waiting in line," said Deborah Thomas, a Rhode Island resident.

The Real ID will cost $62.50, the same as a regular license.

"That's if you apply for it during your regular renewal period, that's 60 days before your current expiration," said Grimaldi. "If you do it before and upgrade, it'll cost $27.50 and then you'll still have to renew it when it expires."

The DMV said residents can also get a Real ID at any DMV office during regular hours, and members can go to AAA.