CONCORD, N.H. — The federal government is giving New Hampshire a six-month extension to comply with the “Real ID” law that aims to strengthen security screenings for boarding airplanes or entering federal facilities.

The extension, announced this week, means airports and federal buildings will continue to accept existing New Hampshire driver’s licenses through at least June 1. Real ID was passed in 2005 in response to the Sept. 11 terror attacks, and New Hampshire remains one of several states that haven’t complied with the law. Obtaining a driver’s license in compliance with Real ID requires presentation of a valid birth certificate and Social Security number. Passports will remain valid airport identification.

Opponents of the law in New Hampshire primarily cite privacy concerns.

Officials from the Department of Homeland Security are citing legislative action to bring New Hampshire in line with the law next year as a reason for the extension. Sherman Packard, a Londonderry Republican, introduced legislation allowing New Hampshire drivers to get a Real ID compliant license on a voluntary basis. Lawmakers will begin debating the bill when the session kicks off in January.

“Our goal is to have a bill passed, and a process in place, well before the June 1st deadline,” Packard said in a statement.

Packard said if his bill passes, New Hampshire should have a five-year transition period that would allow people to use their current license to get into airports and federal buildings. Under Packard’s proposal, not all New Hampshire drivers will be required to have the Real ID license because it’s not required for driving or some other purposes.

Passing Real ID legislation could be difficult. Last year, the Senate rejected an effort to bring New Hampshire into compliance with the law.

“We’ve had a policy for eight years that protects the privacy of Granite Staters, and there is no urgency to make that change now,” Republican Sen. Nancy Stiles of Hampton said at the time.

But Packard said New Hampshire is running out of time, and failure to provide New Hampshire residents with an option to comply could create unnecessary barriers for accessing services like air travel.

“Even though I initially opposed this bill, we have been given absolute assurances that there will not be any national database set up,” he said. “There’s no way this law is going to go away.”