I was just replying to Chefguy’s comment.
In case there is any question as to what Oregon requires to get a Real ID, here is the list:
Proof of Identity
Even if you now have or have had a license, instruction permit or ID in Oregon, you will need to bring in documentation of your identity, date of birth, and lawful status. If you are not a citizen of the United States, you will need to bring a document that shows your legal status.
If possible, pick a document that has your current full legal name.
If the document you bring does not have your current legal name, you will need to bring official documents that show any name changes. All documents must be original and cannot be a photocopy.
Select ONE document:
U.S. passport or U.S. passport card
U.S. birth certificate issued by a state or local government
Certificate of Citizenship
Certificate of Naturalization
Consular Report of Birth Abroad
Permanent Resident Card
Employment Authorization Card
Foreign Passport with unexpired visa
and valid I-94 issued by DHS
My speculation is that enforcement of the documentation rules may be relaxed as the deadline is approaching.
My speculation is that it varies at least a little by location and by the official checking the documents. I had to bring two of something, and they only looked at one of it.
And i was worried about the name, because my passport said Firstname Secondname, Thirdname, Lastname, and my driver’s license said Firstname, T Lastname. But they just told me they would have to change the driver’s license to match the passport, and i didn’t need any additional documents.
This was a relief, because my birth certificate has a different first and last name, and i didn’t want to have to thread that difference.
Moderator Note
Let’s keep political issues out of FQ, please. Feel free to discuss this in a more appropriate forum if you’d like.
I cannot use personal experiences from other states, unfortunately. Oregon has specific rules involving specific documents.
From what I have been hearing from people the website updates at midnight every day. People have managed to get open slots by pouncing on them at midnight.
So does every state. Mine requires more documents than yours, i think, unless you left off some of the requirements.
My guess is you are screwed, honestly. But I also suspect that different people processing the IDs will be more or less strict on interpreting the rules. Still, “don’t have a legal connection between these documents and those” is probably outside of reasonable discretion. I suspect you will need to legally change your name, or adopt the one in your birth certificate.
Direct cut and paste from the official website, I’m afraid.
Being born and raised with an incredible amount of freedom and a plethora of personal rights, I thought this stuff only happened in Russia. Unfortunately, we seem to be slowly but inexorably heading in that direction.
I was on SNAP (foodstamps), social security disability, Medicare and Medicaid for over twenty years. I now work in a virtual call center for a government contractor. The first position I had with them was the unemployment office. I briefly worked for the Defense Manpower Data Center. I currently work heping callers apply for and renew Children’s Health Insurance in Pennsylvania (CHIP) and Medicaid.
From experience on both sides of the situation- Usually the employee you are dealing with wants to help you. They have very little choice in the matter. I have had to tell callers that ’ I cannot renew your benefits without a case record number. Yes, I understand they expire tomorrow. Yes, I understand you won’t be able to get your insulin and may die. You will need to call the statewide customer service center and get your case record number from them, and then call us back to renew. Yes, I understand that it is 4:55 and you will not be able to get your case record number today. You will need to do it tomorrow. There is nothing I can do without a case record number.’
One caller had moved from a shelter back in to their parents’ house. I asked if they were paying their parents any rent. They said no. I said that in that case, their parents were considered part of the household and I needed some information on them even if they were not applying. The caller spoke to their parents. The caller put their parents on the phone so I could explain things. The father kept shouting that the caller was not part of his household because he was not claiming them as a tax dependent. I kept calmly repeeating 'I undertsand that sir. Whether you claim them as a dependent or whether they are even related to you does not matter. They are living under your roof and not paying rent. That makes them a member of the same house hold." This went on for quite some time as both the caller and I hoped the father would see reason. He never did. He kept repeating that the caller was not a tax dependent. I kept explaining that it did not mater. Eventually, the caller gave up and ended the call. The caller had mentioned they needed insurance for a therapist and pyschiatric medications. Their father was just a raging asshole. My choices were to either file a form I new to be incomplete and incorect and get mysef fired, or keep my job. As I need the pay and the health insurance, and occasionaly I do get to help people, I chose the second.
I think with Real ID, they have even less discretion.The fact that it is significantly harder to get than an old driver’s license or state ID is the entire point.
It’s harder. I didn’t find it to be significantly harder. Basically I needed one more document stating my current address than I would have needed to get my regular license. I’m not sure if my state was significantly harder to get a license than others.
The REAL ID Act was passed in 2005. My state started to issue them in 2019. Some people like the OP have genuine unique issues that need special attention. The vast majority of people gumming up the works are those who waited until the last minute and are trying to get in before the deadline of something that they could have taken care of years ago.
You have my sympathies. I remember when my parents took me in when I was 17 to get my surname officially changed to that of my stepfather. I didn’t care one way or another, but they seemed to think it was important. Turns out, it’s very important if you are not using the name on your birth cert, as it can cause real headaches later on, as you’re finding out. Good luck.
I found it significantly harder than getting a driver’s license. I needed to document my social security number, and i needed two documents to prove i lived where i claimed i did. I had no proof of my social security number. (i eventually requested, and received, a new social security card. Something that would be laughably easy to forge if you were so inclined.) Also, since most of my bills arrive via email, i had no 'original documents, photocopies will not be accepted" documents proving my residence. Fortunately, i have a high quality color laser printer, trifolded the print outs, and carefully didn’t mention that i had printed them myself.
The process was time consuming and stressful, even though i didn’t have any particularly unusual circumstances.
Moderator Note
Again, FQ is not the place for political discussions. Please focus on the factual issue of Real ID and having correct documentation. Any political issues or opinions on the topic belong elsewhere.
I got mine is about 2019 (California) and I agree that the actual process was only a little bit harder than prior license renewals in-person. It did drive home the inherent inability of some human beings to understand and follow instructions, though. I went to a site that specialized in Real IDs and I would guesstimate that around 10-20% of the people in line were filtered out by the DMV employees checking if they had brought the required documents.
According to the PA DMV site, I could have renewed my old state ID online, had a camera card mailed to me, and then go wth my old ID to have my photo taken and get the new ID.
Again from the PA DMV site
If you are pre-verified, you can order a Real ID online. This is the page on being pre-verified Apply for REAL ID Pre-Verification | Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Real ID also costs an extra $30.
If I am willing to go to the office and wait for them to mail me my Real ID, there are five places I can go. The one time I mailed my SNAP renewal packet in the provided no postage needed pre-addressed envelope, the office never received it and I lost my benefits. Earlier this year, I got a letter from Cigna. They were my Medicare D provider. So, I opened it. “By now you have received a blue letter informing you that-” No, I had NOT received that letter. Fortunately, the letter from Cigna gave the important information that my Part D provider would be changing and I should expect a letter and card from Wellcare. That letter came a week or two later. Had I not received the Cigna letter first, I might have thrown it away as junk mail. A week or two after that I finally received the blue letter that I should have gotten about a month ago.
For those reasons, I do not trust the mail for important documents. That means I need to go a DMV office that will give me my Real ID that day. There is only one office in Philly that does that.
I decided to get my Real ID because I ran out of by mail renewals and I had to go in anyway for a new picture. I have a passport, a passport card and a retired military ID. I wasn’t worried about my ability to get on a plane.
This is where your problem will lie.
According to this, by “legal name” , Oregon means “The name given to you at birth or subsequently acquired through marriage, court order, or adoption, without the use of initials or nicknames.”. Granted, that section refers to real estate licensing but “legal name” is not the sort of thing that will have multiple definitions for a single state.
This is just another issue with REAL ID - in most states, you can use any name you want to as long as you aren’t doing it to commit fraud. So lots of people started using their stepfather’s last name or their maternal grandfather’s last name or “Bobby” instead of “Robert” or dropped their first name and used a middle or whatever without legally changing it. And if you started doing that early enough ( like say grade school) , you could end up with all your documents having the name you actually use, rather than the one on your birth certificate. Which used to be just fine, for many people. Problem is that just because it’s legal to use any name you want to , it doesn’t follow that you can force any other entity to use that name rather than insisting that you must use the one on your birth certificate unless you have proof that it was changed by marriage or court order and then you must use the one on the marriage certificate or court order. I’ve known plenty of people who’ve run into this at work - they get married and change their name and their job will only use the new name , exactly as it appears on the marriage certificate.
Your only option now might be to get a court ordered name change - because even getting the Real ID with your birth name may not work, as no other documents have your birth name.
Definitely depends on state- when I got married ( in 1987) the license application had a space for new surname for both the bride and groom.
The state in which I was actually married in does that - either or both spouses can change their surnames.
The state in which I currently live is the one that does not recognize men changing their surnames at marriage. As I am not a man and I was having enough problems at the time I didn’t inquire how that did (or didn’t) work out for a man who changed his name upon getting married in a different state.