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Since You Asked: Appointments not needed to get Real ID By Mail Tribune staff Jul 10, 2022 12:15 AM A A As the DMV continues to push for drivers to secure a Real ID driver’s license, the closest DMV office available for making an appointment is Roseburg. The Medford DMV is not listed on the appointment form. So I called DMV and spoke with someone. They explained it was due to a staff shortage. Newsworthy? — Robert For those who haven’t heard, a regular Oregon driver’s license will no longer work as a form of identification for flights in the United States starting May 3, 2023. Transportation Security Administration workers will stop you at airport security checkpoints, and you’ll miss your flight if you don’t have a Real ID or other qualifying identification like a passport. Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles in encouraging residents to get a Real ID as soon as possible. A Real ID is still your Oregon driver’s license or identification card. It has a black star in the corner to show you’ve gone through extra steps to renew or get a new license or ID card that meets Real ID requirements. The DMV offers many of its services online, but you still have to go to a DMV office in person with a set of documents to prove who you are in order to get a Real ID. That’s where it gets really confusing for Jackson County residents. The DMV website instructs Oregonians to schedule an in-person Real ID appointment, but it offers no appointments for a number of counties, including Jackson, Josephine and Klamath counties. The closest DMV offices accepting Real ID appointments are in Canyonville and Roseburg in Douglas County. Robert, after we checked in with you to say we were researching your question, you let us know you went to the Medford DMV before it opened without an appointment. When the doors opened, you told us the fast, friendly staff helped you and you were finished within 30 minutes. We checked with Oregon Department of Transportation Spokesman David House about why the DMV website doesn’t offer any Real ID appointments for Jackson, Josephine and Klamath counties. House said in May the DMV stopped offering new appointment slots for the summer in southwest Oregon because of a severe staffing shortage. Summer is the busiest time of the year for DMV offices. “For now, we encourage customers to see if they can get what they need at DMV2U.Oregon.gov , and if they need a service that must be done in person — like switching to the Real ID option — please just drop in. But expect a long wait and please be patient. We are down to a third of normal staffing in Medford,” House said. Open DMV offices in Southern Oregon include those in Medford, Grants Pass and Klamath Falls. Due to staffing shortages, offices in Ashland and Cave Junction are temporarily closed. For updates on which DMV offices are open, see oregon.gov/odot/dmv/pages/offices/index.aspx . Meanwhile, DMV is working with recruiters to expedite the hiring process and try to get more employees on board, House said. To apply for a job, see odotjobs.com and select Department of Transportation under the Company menu. Customer service representative jobs at the Medford DMV pay $35,064 to $51,972 annually plus benefits. Management jobs pay $59,112 to $91,500 plus benefits, according to current job postings. Send questions to “Since You Asked,” Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford OR 97501 or by email to [email protected].