May 07 Is Deadline To Sign Up For A Real Id On Your Driver's License
 | Author:
Nancy Marks, MT43 News Editorial
Nancy Marks: MT43 News Secretary and News Editor |
May 07 is Deadline to Sign Up for a Real ID on Your Driver's License
Nancy Marks
MT43 News Editorial
I see I need to renew my driver’s license this year. Come November I’ll have to sign up to renew my license.
I hear we might want to obtain a Real ID, the little gold star in the corner, on our licenses. According to the Montana Motor Vehicle Division website, a Real ID will be needed if I want to fly either in the United States or abroad. I will also need it to enter federal buildings to visit the Social Security office or the Internal Revenue office in Helena.
Actually, you and I don’t have to sign up for a Real ID, which will run $25 extra when you renew your license. We can use a valid passport or any CERTIFIED document such as a birth certificate, marriage license, or naturalization papers. Unfortunately, a hospital birth certificate will not qualify. The document must have a certified stamp on it. And if my or your current name is not the same as what is on your birth certificate, you’ll need to show court-ordered divorce papers.
If this is not already too much information, here is more: To sign up at the DVM you must provide a birth certificate, your Social Security card number and current proof of your residence such as a valid utility bill or vehicle registration card. You or I can only qualify for the Real ID if we schedule an appointment.
The website goes on to say the Real ID concept was created to set a standard of identification. The law was passed by Congress in 2005, after the September 11, 2001 attack on the Twin Towers in New York.
It will take until November to round up the documents I need. Guess I’d better get busy.
For more information or to make an appointment by the May 07 deadline, go to mtmvd/mt.gov website or call (406) 444-3933.
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Image 1 Caption: If you apply for a Real ID for your driver's license, it will have the gold star in the corner.
