Illinois DMVs affected by nationwide passport verification issue

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — The Illinois Secretary of State is warning Illinois residents Wednesday morning that U.S. passport verification services are unavailable due to a “nationwide outage.”

Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias said residents should call 800-252-8980 prior to visiting a DMV, “as services or hours may be impacted.”

As of 9:35 a.m, the cause of the outage is under investigation, authorities said.

“We are actively monitoring the situation and will provide updates as they become available,” Giannoulias said.

Illinois has recently experienced long lines at statewide DMVs as residents rushed to get a REAL ID prior to its enforcement as the required federal identification for boarding planes and entering government buildings.