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Tag: real id

  • DMV Director urges residents to obtain REAL IDs

    COLUMBIA – With the deadline a little more than a year away, South Carolina residents should not wait to get their REAL IDs.

    That’s the message from Kevin Shwedo, executive director of the S.C. Department of Motor Vehicles.

    Shwedo has been making the rounds in 2019, a year before a critical REAL ID deadline arrives Oct. 20, 2020.

    At meetings around the state, Shwedo tells folks that their local DMV could quickly fill up with procrastinators seeking REAL IDs

    “The idea is to get your REAL ID as rapidly as possible so that you don’t have to wait in line for six hours,” he said. “If the line is six hours [in Columbia], guess where they’re coming? To your DMV.”

    Adopted in 2005, the federal REAL ID law “set standards for the issuance of sources of identification, such as driver’s licenses,” according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. IDs can be identified by a gold star in the top of the card.

    Passed in the wake of the 9/11 terror attacks, REAL IDs are not mandatory for all citizens. They aren’t required to drive a car or vote in elections.

    But they will be required to board airplanes, to enter military bases and certain federal buildings, such as federal courthouses.

    U.S. passports or military IDs will also allow a person to board flights, though driver’s licenses remain the most common form of ID most people carry. That’s why Shwedo says he’s worried so few South Carolinians have upgraded to a REAL ID.

    Shwedo implored people to update their ID card now. He outlined various hypothetical scenarios where delaying could cause major headaches.

    “If you have a death in the family and you have to go to Tacoma, Washington on Sept. 30, 2020, you’ll get on a plane and make it out there,” Shwedo said. “But if you don’t have a passport, a military ID or a REAL ID, you’re going to be hitchhiking your way back. It is just that serious.”

    Shwedo said another reason for acting now is the sheer volume of documentation required to obtain a REAL ID.

    Persons are required to bring proof of identity, proof of Social Security number, two proofs of a current physical South Carolina address and proof of all legal name changes, if applicable.

    It’s the fourth requirement that Shwedo said could be problematic, especially for women.

    Calling REAL ID a “sexist law,” he noted that women who’ve divorced and remarried must provide proof of every past and present name change when applying for a REAL ID. Widowers who’ve changed their names face similar dilemmas, he said.

    There is an alternative. Shwedo said the DMV can accept valid passports as the final name for women choosing that option.

    “If you don’t do it, you’re going to have to make multiple trips to the DMV,” Shwedo said. “I don’t want to see you in the DMV any more than you have to be there.”

    Many South Carolina residents can avoid long DMV lines and order a REAL ID online. Shwedo said this applies to anyone who obtained a driver’s license for the very first time after November 2010.

    “I’ve got everything that I need from you,” he said. “I’ve got a million people that fall into that category.”

    The state DMV website can be accessed at www.scdmvonline.com.

  • Blythewood’s DMV releases information about REAL IDs

    BLYTHEWOOD – While testing continues on the state’s new secure driver’s licenses and identification cards, the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles (SCDMV) has released the images of the new REAL ID and non-compliant cards residents will begin seeing in the first quarter of 2018.

    Compliant Card

    The state’s new REAL ID driver’s licenses and identification cards will be compliant with the federal REAL ID Act of 2005. These cards may be used as identification to pass security at airports nationwide, enter secure federal buildings and visit military installations.

    Instead of a REAL ID license or ID, a valid US Passport or other federally accepted identification may be used for the above activities in the future and is still required for international travel.

    Non-compliant Card

    The state’s new non-compliant licenses and IDs will say “Not for Federal Identification” across the top. Beginning Oct. 1, 2020, non-compliant and current SC licenses and IDs, will not pass security at airports nationwide, secure federal buildings or military installations. Individuals with this card or the state’s current card must present a different form of federally accepted identification, such as a valid US Passport or military ID, for the above activities.

    Changing your current card and purchasing a REAL ID is voluntary, but you must have a REAL ID or other federally approved identification in the future for the federal activities above. People who will not be passing airport security or visiting federal facilities do not need to take any action besides renewing their current card as normal when it expires.

    The cost is the same for a REAL ID or a non-compliant card.

    The new cards will be available to the public in 2018. To get a REAL ID, you can begin the process now of changing your current driver’s license. For a REAL ID, the SCDMV must have all of the following documents on file:

    Proof of identity (government-issued birth certificate or valid US passport)

    Proof of Social Security number

    Two proofs of current, physical SC address

    Proof of all legal name changes

    You may bring these documents to the SCDMV now. If you have a Class D, E, F, G, M, or any have a Class D, E, F, G, M, or any combination of those license and are a US citizen, you may be able to buy your new REAL ID license online in 2018 with a valid credit card. Your driving privileges must be in good standing for you to be eligible for online ordering and your last renewal cannot have been by mail.

    All unexpired SC driver’s licenses and identification cards will be valid to pass airport security, enter secure federal facilities and visit military installations until Oct. 1, 2020. For more information, visit www.scdmvonline.com. For questions about REAL ID, please email REALID@scdmv.net or call 803-896-5000.