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And none too soon: The Transportation Security Administration says that, beginning Wednesday, travelers are going to need Real ID or other documents if they want to get on a commercial flight.

“There’s nothing like a deadline to spur people into action,’’ the governor said.

There’s also the fact that, from a practical standpoint, the Wednesday deadline really doesn’t apply to Hobbs — at least not yet.

One of the perks of her office is to be flown around the state and region in aircraft owned by the Department of Public Safety. She also doesn’t stand in the same lines as pretty much everyone else for commercial flights, due to special treatment arranged by her security detail.

But Hobbs acknowledged there will come a time when she’s no longer the state’s chief executive and those perks will disappear.

“Well, yes, that,’’ she said.

So on Thursday, she showed up at a Motor Vehicle Division office, passport, bank statement and a W-2 form in hand, to get her Real ID.

“Most people who fly are used to being able to use their state-issued ID to be able to get through TSA,’’ the governor said. That has included a standard driver’s license.

“Without a Real ID-compliant (enhanced driver’s license), that won’t be the case anymore,’’ she noted.

There will be other options.

A passport will suffice. So will a birth certificate, along with two other documents with the person’s current name and address.

But Hobbs said most people are likely to find it more convenient simply to show the enhanced driver’s license.

Several things are needed to get one of those.

First is proof of identity, meaning an original or certified birth certificate, an unexpired U.S. passport or a passport card.

Applicants also need to provide a Social Security number, though no document is required.

Finally, there’s the requirement for two documents from different sources with your name and current Arizona residential address. Options include a utility bill, insurance policy, government document or credit card or bank statements.

MVD takes appointments online at , which is a lot quicker than simply walking in and waiting.

And when everything is verified and a $25 fee is paid, there’s a new picture taken and the license — with the special notation of a star in the upper right corner — is delivered in about a week.

The Wednesday deadline has been a long time coming.

The federal Real ID Act of 2005 was passed in the wake of the terrorist attacks that commandeered U.S. aircraft on Sept. 11, 2001. It requires states to have licenses that comply with certain security requirements.

But that law couldn’t force states to comply. And Arizona legislators, fearing it was tantamount to creating a national ID card, approved a measure in 2008 prohibiting the Motor Vehicle Division from producing a Real ID-compliant license.

Karen Johnson, then a state senator from Mesa, called the licenses an unwanted intrusion into privacy, rejecting arguments the new licenses are necessary for security.

And then-Rep. Judy Burgess of Skull Valley said she feared the new licenses would have a radio-frequency-identification chip that could be read by nearby scanners and could “track you as a citizen everywhere you go.’’

By 2015, however, some legislators became concerned when the U.S. Department of Homeland Security threatened to start enforcing the law, banning people from boarding aircraft without a “secure’’ license. So they agreed to make it an option for Arizonans — albeit with a specific provision barring the use of RFID technology.

Hobbs, who was in the state Senate at that point, said she’s not afraid of having one of the new licenses.

“I think there’s been a lot of conspiracy theories, not just recently, around elections, around vaccines,’’ she said, just like there were about Real ID. “People don’t have a reason to be skeptical of it.’’

For would-be travelers without either the Real ID or the other acceptable documents after Wednesday, TSA says it still may be possible to board an aircraft, at least for a domestic flight. But the agency warns that there will be additional scrutiny, with officers asking questions to verify identity.

And they say that could take hours, even if someone eventually is cleared — possibly meaning a missed flight.

All that possible hassle is apparently making Arizonans take notice. The MVD reports about 85% of those coming into its offices are selecting to get a Real ID versus a standard license.

There is one other benefit of getting a Real ID.

It means a new photo on a license, which might be welcomed by those who never were happy with the one they have now.

Hobbs, for her part, said she thinks she’s going to like her new one.

“It looked OK on the temporary one they gave me,’’ she said.