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Delaware: New ID licenses roll out July 1

CSDL, Fri, 06/18/2010 - 03:00

By Ron MacArthur
State transportation officials are gearing up to offer new driver licenses starting July 1.
Delaware is among the first states to comply with a recommendation of the 9-11 Commission to develop federal identification standards for states to follow when issuing licenses and identification cards.
Obtaining the new secure driver license is optional, but Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) officials said as of Dec. 1, 2014, it will be required to travel on airplanes, trains and boats within the United States and to enter federal facilities. Passports will remain valid as identification and will still be required for international travel.
Although a secure license and passport appears to be duplication, the new license is a cheaper and less time-consuming alternative for people who do not have or want to obtain passports, said DelDOT spokesman Mike Williams.
 
To get a new license, source documents will be required to prove identity, lawful status, date of birth and a Social Security number.
 
These are documents already required by the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) when a person obtains a license, said Scott Vien, chief of driver services. He referred to the process as a reverification of the documents. “You will just have to do it one more time,” he said.
 
Built-in security features make the new license virtually impossible to duplicate, said Jen Cohan, DMV director. Protection of drivers’ personal information is the highest priority, she added. All documentation is electronically verified.
 
Cohan said there is no need for residents to rush in and get the new license; motorists can wait until their licenses expire if the date doesn’t go beyond Dec. 1, 2014.
 
The DMV will change its license renewal and issuance process to accommodate the new license. Photographs will be taken at the start of the process, not the end; new security features will be added to cards to make them harder to duplicate; facial recognition software will allow DMV employees to verify customers; and cards will be produced and issued from a secure-card production room not available to the public.
 
Thanks to a $1.1 million Federal Highway Administration grant, DelDOT has been able to retrofit DMV offices and upgrade computers and software at all four locations. Each office now has a bulletproof, secured room where licenses are printed out.
 
Nondrivers will be issued an ID card and go through the same process. Those who choose not to provide the required documentation will be issued a regular driver license with the phrase “not for federal identification” printed in the upper margin of the card.

Myths and facts about new license/ID card
 
Identification: Three forms of identification to prove U.S. citizenship or legal presence in the U.S. are required. Examples include Social Security Card; U.S. birth certificate or U.S. passport; and two pieces of nonpersonal mail sent to your home address within the past 60 days. Those with foreign passports will also need other immigration documentation such as an employment authorization card.
 
Cost: The cost for a new secure license/ID card will remain $25. The validation of documentation process will take place once.
 
An option: The new license/ID card is optional, but it will be required for all domestic travel and entrance to federal buildings Dec. 1, 2014.
 
Not a national ID card: It’s not a national identification card. The federal government is not granted access to DMV data. Privacy of personal information maintained by the DMV is protected by law.
 
No chips: Radio frequency identification chips are not put on the Delaware card.
 
Passports still needed: The license/ID card does not replace a U.S. passport, which is still needed for international travel.
 
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