Having recently gotten a Massachusetts driving license, and then replacing it with a Ohio one. The only difference between a regular DL and a real ID was that the real ID required two pieces of mail verifying your address.
Oh, and that as a temporary green card holder I couldn’t have one.
In Washington I had to verify my Social Security Number for Real ID. I didn’t have to do that for a regular license. Paystub or SS card.
Plus proof of citizenship (passport worked) and two utility bills showing I get mail at my address.
I got my Real ID compliant license in California last year when I renewed my license. I was surprised at the number of people at the DMV who intended to get a Real ID but didn’t have the right documentation (or any documentation). I didn’t find any of the documentation onerous.
In California, it appears they want to give Real IDs to all legal residents, regardless of citizenship, which they make clear based on the laundry list of identity documents they accept (including expired green cards- along with the notice that expired it).
They seem to also seem to have taken steps to make it possible for those without a permanent address to get a Real ID, allowing items like: “Faith-based document that includes the name and address of organization” or “Letter attesting that the applicant resides in California from a homeless shelter, shelter for abused women, non-profit entity, faith-based organization, employer or government agency within the United States”.
They also don’t get too hung up on the social security number. They note: “If you are ineligible for an SSN, you may still apply for a REAL ID Compliant DL/ID.”
On the other hand, Texas accepts a concealed carry permit as one of the proofs of residence.
Oh, I’m sure.
But I’m not poor or of limited resources. It’s just irritating and pointless. I mean, at some point I already had to show up with most of that shit to just to GET the drivers’ license in the first place. Now I have to bring it all back again? I mean, I know where we keep that stuff, but it’s still something of a pain in the butt to round it up and bring it in.
Oh the humanity.
why??
Isn’t another purpose of Real ID to require certain authentication measures on the cards? Back in the late 90s, one of my classmates showed me her Louisiana driver’s license, and it was literally a piece of cardboard with a photo glued to it. It wasn’t even laminated. Anyone and their dog could counterfeit one of those.
I think that Louisiana has since changed over to modern cards, made out of printed plastic and with holograms etc., but they could, if they chose, go back. Which would not be something wanted by anyone who was relying on those cards as proof of, well, anything.
Californian here. My daughter and I both got REAL IDs this past summer. I have my original SocSec card in my wallet (it’s over fifty years old). She doesn’t have hers, but a W2 form satisfied that requirement. I still make sure my utility bills are mailed to me (job security, dontcha know), but she managed to have a couple of credit card bills on hand. I had the county mail us copies of our birth certificates back in April, so the process at the DMV took less than an hour for both of us.
So we’re good until our b’days 2025. But now I wonder what renewing a REAL ID is going to involve.
At least per the Federal standards, nothing special. The whole point was to prove “for real” who you really are, just once. You can’t turn into somebody else later.
States are free to make renewing a REAL ID as easy or as hard as they want. I suspect most favor easy. When I moved into my current state FL getting my REAL ID license was simple since my old license from another state was already REAL ID. Just turned in the one for the other.
Carrying your SS card in your wallet is risky; if your wallet gets lost/stolen, having that card in there can make the resulting identity theft considerably more severe and difficult to undo. You should leave that card at home.
Does it bother anyone else that a government law enforcement agency, the Texas Department of Public Safety, is intentionally broadcasting false information via posters such as the one that I saw and via their website? A Real ID is NOT required for travel within the United States. A Real ID is required for some activities, such as boarding a commercial aircraft on a domestic flight, but the card itself is not required for free travel within our formerly “free” nation.
Have you brought this to the attention of a television station or newspaper in your area? They might be interested in running a story on it, and may be able to get an answer why the state is misrepresenting the need for the Real ID.
When I first got a driver’s license, the Pennsylvania license didn’t even have a picture, and was just a paper card. Yes, I believe they’ve long since become more like other state’s licenses. OTOH, you had to get an LCB (liquor control board) card to get to get a drink in a bar or purchase booze (which was done at a state store). The LCB card was laminated plastic with a photo.
…should we tell him what’s been on the news the past four years?