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VERIFY: Yes, if your Maryland license is recalled, your current driver's license card is invalid

Thousands of people are rushing to get required documents needed for the Real ID driver's license in Maryland. If you don't do it -- your current license could be recalled. But what exactly does that recall mean for you?

With the Maryland's Motor Vehicle Administration license recall warning issued last week, a viewer asked us if the recall would make their physical driver's license card invalid.

So the REAL ID Act, passed after 9/11, is a federal requirement providing a new level of security measures for state-issued licenses and identification cards. 

Credit: Department of Homeland Security website

Maryland MVA said about 66,000 customers are receiving a final reminder, who have received notifications since December 2018, that their license is at risk of being recalled if they don't get necessary REAL ID documents submitted by June.

Verify researchers then contacted a Maryland Department of Transportation spokesperson who confirmed, if your license is recalled, it would make the physical driver's license card basically worthless, which means no driving privileges but points won't will be assessed to your driving record.

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However, if pulled over by law enforcement, driver's licenses will be confiscated and you could also face fines for driving without a valid license. 

MVA also said recall licenses means no access to federal buildings after 2020 and you won't be able to fly in the U.S. without a passport.

The Maryland Department of Transportation spokesperson they're continuing to notify customers in groups to try and ensure they get the necessary REAL ID documents presented and filed in an adequate amount of time. 

According to MDOT MVA officials, the deadline for obtaining a REAL ID is still October 1, 2020.

To find out what your Real ID status is, click here.

If you want to find out required documents you need to gather and then to make an appointment at your nearest MVA agency, click here.

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