A for locals only post: Having gotten an enhanced license, it will continue working for airport TSA identification useful for domestic flights and border crossings by land or water, but it is insufficient for international flights. The switch in the future in Minnesota from ordinary driver's license to the Real-ID alternative will mean conparabe proof of identity, residence and citizenship have been presented, with the Real-ID set to have a star on the upper front corner.
The enhanced license has an embedded RFID and bar coding which will help in border crossing between the U.S. and Canada, and Mexico I believe. The RFID is of use in reentry to the States after being out of country. Beyond border crossing it appears a passport is needed. Readers should confirm this understading with license center personnel. However the Real-ID may be handled, the Ramsey license renewal office in city hall does not process enhanced licenses but the Anoka center off Highway 10 by the KMart-Church does. (That's the block west of the Culvers, SuperAmerica, McDonalds outlets.)
As the license center official explained things to me, the DHS approved Enhanced Driver's License is of greater use than the RealID will be for border crossing; and of comparable use at TSA checkpoints for domestic air travel. And it is available now. This is posted because online reporting and website search left uncertainties that were resolved by driving and speaking to an official person. Readers might also be confused from reporting on the to-be-implemented shift in Minnesota to RealID, to bring the state into compliance with federal law where currently Minnesota is one of the states allowed a temporary exemption from enforcement of the federal requirement.
Minnesota might likely have already implemented RealID if Warren Limmer had not gotten a bug in his bonnet over it as perceived federal overreach and privacy infringement. As best understood, proof of citizenship is the biggest hurdle, requiring a passport or certified copy of a birth certificate (or of naturalization papers, for citizens born elsewhere). Residence proof by a range of possible documents is an easier thing. All the requirements are online, with readers having to research it to assure a current link, etc.
The crux of things seemed to be that a RealID license and Enhanced Licehse will continue to be available alternatives into the future; my question being whether I needed to exchange and/or redocument my enhanced item in order to get a RealID, the answer given me being, no, that the enhanced license option would continue.
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Some links: Here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.
