# Does your new state ID suck as bad as mine does? (Texas) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 10, 2022, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-new-state-id-suck-as-bad-as-mine-does-texas/959239 "2022-02-10T19:23:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2022, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-new-state-id-suck-as-bad-as-mine-does-texas/959239/1 "2022-02-10T19:23:36Z")
Got my renewed ID yesterday. It’s a new design and boy is it hideous! The photo is in black and white. Anyway, I did some reading; apparently this is the new defacto for IDs (something to do with Polycarbonate making it harder to counterfeit). Just wondering if anybody else in other states or across the pond has seen these. ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2022, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-new-state-id-suck-as-bad-as-mine-does-texas/959239/2 "2022-02-10T19:58:34Z")
Interesting that a color photo is not a requirement for Real ID. I relatively recently renewed my Illinois license and upgraded to Real ID, but it doesn’t look that different from my old one. Color photo (in a couple of places no less). It’s very busy. They made me go in because I was up for a vision test so I figured that I might as well make an appt for Real ID while I was at it. Then when I got there, I got to skip the vision test because of Covid restrictions. Go figure. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2022, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-new-state-id-suck-as-bad-as-mine-does-texas/959239/3 "2022-02-10T20:51:54Z")
I have a New York state driver’s license, which had a B&W photo and hologram. My hologram is practically invisible. I have white hair and a white beard and the only thing you can see are my eyebrows. If you don’t put the license against a white background, you can’t see a thing. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2022, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-new-state-id-suck-as-bad-as-mine-does-texas/959239/4 "2022-02-10T21:00:08Z")
My CA license (Real ID compatible) has three photos. One large color one, a smaller B&W one, and one identical to the B&W one except visible only under UV light. I assume the UV ink is for security, and the small B&W photo is to provide a better point of comparison against the UV one. ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2022, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-new-state-id-suck-as-bad-as-mine-does-texas/959239/5 "2022-02-10T21:08:08Z")
This prompted a memory and I found my Global Entry card which I believe is Real ID compliant. Black and white photograph only. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2022, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-new-state-id-suck-as-bad-as-mine-does-texas/959239/6 "2022-02-10T21:10:55Z")
Just got my new US Passport this week. The page that used to have your name & photo now is plastic & has a B&W photo. The page above it has a low-res color photo ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2022, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-new-state-id-suck-as-bad-as-mine-does-texas/959239/7 "2022-02-10T21:31:02Z")
> [@Folly](#): > > They made me go in because I was up for a vision test so I figured that I might as well make an appt for Real ID while I was at it. Then when I got there, I got to skip the vision test because of Covid restrictions. Go figure. The exact same thing happened to me, after I had gone and gotten a new glasses prescription and everything! Yaaay. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2022, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-new-state-id-suck-as-bad-as-mine-does-texas/959239/8 "2022-02-10T23:43:04Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > Just got my new US Passport this week. The page that used to have your name & photo now is plastic & has a B&W photo. The page above it has a low-res color photo Do they still allow you to provide your own photograph? I was in too big a hurry when I got my passport. Post office clerks are even worse photographers than DMV clerks. ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2022, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-new-state-id-suck-as-bad-as-mine-does-texas/959239/9 "2022-02-11T00:05:34Z")
The Washington State [Enhanced Driver’s License](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enhanced_driver's_license) has two color photos, one smaller and fainter than the other (the linked article has samples). It also has what looks like a glorified QR on the back and an RFID chip; between them, they supply biometric data that allow for automated — or at least expedited — identification when crossing the border. The odd thing, compared to my previous license, is that I couldn’t wear my glasses when being photographed (yes, I know it’s because they would have screwed up automated matching). And without them, I simply don’t look like myself. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2022, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-new-state-id-suck-as-bad-as-mine-does-texas/959239/10 "2022-02-11T00:57:43Z")
New Mexico’s doesn’t look too bad. [![](https://realid.mvd.newmexico.gov/dist/images/compliant-fully.jpg) ](https://realid.mvd.newmexico.gov/dist/images/compliant-fully.jpg) The plastic lamination has some clear-on-clear patterns that don’t show up in the photograph. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2022, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-new-state-id-suck-as-bad-as-mine-does-texas/959239/11 "2022-02-11T01:11:23Z")
Oregon Real ID, background is a little fancier and more colorful, one color pic and no others, QR code and barcode on the back. Not all that different from the old one. ---
**Author:** ![Bootb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19b73/32.png) [@Bootb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bootb)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2022, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-new-state-id-suck-as-bad-as-mine-does-texas/959239/12 "2022-02-11T01:24:59Z")
Colorado has a B&W photo now too. AND they made me take off my glasses for the picture. (Interesting side note: I’m prohibited from driving without vision correction. It doesn’t seem terribly logical to make me take off my glasses, but I’m not a bureaucrat.) ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2022, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-new-state-id-suck-as-bad-as-mine-does-texas/959239/13 "2022-02-11T02:16:00Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > Do they still allow you to provide your own photograph? > I was in too big a hurry when I got my passport. > Post office clerks are even worse photographers than DMV clerks. Mine was a renewal, so I mailed it in; therefore, yes, you have to supply your own pix. Got them at one of the big chain drug stores. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2022, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-new-state-id-suck-as-bad-as-mine-does-texas/959239/14 "2022-02-11T07:37:52Z")
The last time I had to get a passport photo done in 2017 I had to get it taken in the actual post office. But for a renewal they said I could use Walgreens photo lab. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2022, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-new-state-id-suck-as-bad-as-mine-does-texas/959239/15 "2022-02-11T10:26:42Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > Post office clerks are even worse photographers than DMV clerks. I honestly believe that when someone applies for a job at the DMV, one of the interview questions is “can you take a decent picture of a person?” If the answer is “yes”, that applicant is disqualified. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2022, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-new-state-id-suck-as-bad-as-mine-does-texas/959239/16 "2022-02-11T14:24:49Z")
IL Real ID looks pretty much the same as before. As others observe, a little busier w/ 2d small photo (both photos color). But I’m not sure I’ve looked at it since I got it and placed it in my wallet some time ago. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2022, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-new-state-id-suck-as-bad-as-mine-does-texas/959239/17 "2022-02-11T15:16:00Z")
> [@Bootb](#): > > Colorado has a B&W photo now too. When a student showed me their ID, they had just moved to the new (green) one. I did not know they changed it so told him it was the worst looking fake ID I had ever seen. ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2022, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-new-state-id-suck-as-bad-as-mine-does-texas/959239/18 "2022-02-11T22:41:20Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > I have a New York state driver’s license, which had a B&W photo and hologram. I was also unimpressed, and I don’t even have white hair. (yet) I thought part of this Real ID thing was to make them all look alike other than the state name/logo parts. These things seem all over the place, 3 pictures, 2 pictures, color, B&W. This doesn’t seem to help at all with just an individual looking at the ID and matching it to your face. ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2022, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-new-state-id-suck-as-bad-as-mine-does-texas/959239/19 "2022-02-14T16:58:42Z")
My MN driver’s license is one of the new Real IDs or Enhanced. The large picture is colored and there is a tiny BW version in the lower right-hand corner. They took one picture of me with my glasses and then I was told to take my glasses off for the next picture. Both pictures on my DL are without glasses. And the picture is kind of awful. I looked pretty good when I left the house, but then I had to stand in a line outside in a cold blasting wind. It didn’t do my hair any favors. 🙄 ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2022, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-new-state-id-suck-as-bad-as-mine-does-texas/959239/20 "2022-02-14T20:10:32Z")
Mine does, but then again I also live in Texas. Somehow, despite all the security features, they look decidedly bush-league, not like what the official ID from the nation’s second largest state should look like. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-new-state-id-suck-as-bad-as-mine-does-texas/959239.md?page=2)