If you don't have a Real ID, get one now

By the numbers: 93% of the 5 million Colorado credentials issued are Real ID compliant, according to the Colorado Department of Motor Vehicles citing numbers from Jan. 31.

Yes, but: That still leaves about 350,000 people who need to get a new driver's license in the next two months.

What to know: Colorado Real ID cards have a star in a black circle, the newest design, or a gold star in the top right corner. If your driver's license or ID does not have a star, it's time to renew or replace it, state officials said.

Caveat: Not all credentials are eligible for the upgrade. For instance, CO-RCSA driver's licenses and ID cards issued to people living in the country illegally are not compliant.

The big picture: The Real ID is 20 years in the making. Congress passed the Real ID Act in 2005 after the 9/11 Commission recommended that the federal government should have one standard source of identification, rather than accepting state driver's licenses, which have state-specific requirements.

• Reasons for the decades of delays include states not wanting federal oversight of their ID systems, low compliance and administrative hurdles because of the pandemic.