Californians Beware (RealID)

Old Apr 11, 2019, 4:13 pm
  #16  
 
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Who in the first place decided that one document to verify current address was enough? DW recently got her Real ID, and we brought our standard stack of four or five document copies, figuring that would satisfy just about any requirement. I’m even surprised a library would settle for one document.
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Old Apr 11, 2019, 6:29 pm
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Originally Posted by vanillabean
Who in the first place decided that one document to verify current address was enough? DW recently got her Real ID, and we brought our standard stack of four or five document copies, figuring that would satisfy just about any requirement. I’m even surprised a library would settle for one document.
This whole Real ID thing is absurd. It's been 18 years since 9/11 and the current ID's (although having nothing to do with security) have worked just fine. I'm going to stick with my passport as dealing with the flunkies at my DMV is beyond painful.
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Old Apr 11, 2019, 8:27 pm
  #18  
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Exclamation Moderator's Note: Topic Drift

Folks,

While some natural deviation from the topic of this thread is obviously fine, please let's try to keep the focus of the discussion in this thread on California's procedures to verify REAL ID applicants' addresses and any corrective actions that are being implemented in order to comply with the Federal requirements.

If you wish to opine, criticize or debate the need for or the merits of having REAL ID, we have several threads for such discussions including the following:
Future posts discussing topics other than states' compliance with federally approved procedures for issuing REAL ID will be summarily deleted.

Thank you for understanding,

TWA884
Travel Safety/Security co-moderator
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Old Apr 13, 2019, 9:11 pm
  #19  
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I clicked through a bunch of the articles and still can't tell what constitutes a second proof of residency. Is it just that they want what amounts to two piece of mail from different senders rather than just one?
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Old Apr 13, 2019, 9:52 pm
  #20  
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Originally Posted by chrisl137
I clicked through a bunch of the articles and still can't tell what constitutes a second proof of residency. Is it just that they want what amounts to two piece of mail from different senders rather than just one?
According to the California DMV website, any two of the following will do:

  • Rental or lease agreement with the signature of the owner/landlord and the tenant/resident.
  • Deed or title to residential real property.
  • Mortgage bill.
  • Home utility bills (including cellular phone).
  • School documents including any document issued by a U.S. education institution that either includes the applicant's date of birth, or if a foreign school document, is sealed by the school and includes a photograph of the applicant at the age the record was issued.
  • Medical documents.
  • Employment documents.
  • Faith based documents that include the name and address of the issuing organization.
  • Insurance documents, including medical, dental, vision, life, home, rental, and vehicle.
  • Internal Revenue Service or California Franchise Tax Board tax return.
  • California Certificate of Vehicle or Vessel Title or Registration.
  • Change of Address Confirmation by the U.S. Postal Service (Form CNL 107).
  • Any document issued by an entity, office, or authority governing over a country, state, county, city, municipality, district, agency, department, or any other political subdivision of a country or state that is typed and contains the agency name, department name, state seal, or is on official letterhead.
  • Property tax bill or statement.
  • Record of any state or national banks, state or federal savings associations, trust companies, industrial loan companies, state or federal credit unions, and any institution or entity that has issued a credit card.
  • An acceptable No Fee Identification Card Eligibility Verification (DL 933) form.
  • Voter registration confirmation letter or postcard issued by the California Secretary of State or a local California county elections officer.
  • Proof of payment of resident tuition at a public institution of higher education located in California.
  • An original copy of an approved Claim For Homeowners’ Property Tax Exemption (BOE-266) form filed with a local California County Assessor.
  • Court documents that list the applicant as a resident of California.
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Old Jun 14, 2019, 6:40 pm
  #21  
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My wife applied for her REAL ID complaint California Driver License in mid April. She brought the documents required to prove her identity, residence and Social Security number. Three of those had our home address. She received the new license a week later.

Today, she received a letter claiming that she provided only one residency document. It asked her check a box confirming that the mailing address was correct, sign, date and send it back to the DMV in an enclosed prepaid envelope in order to satisfy the second residency requirement.

:SMH:

A template of the letter can be seen here.
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Old Jun 16, 2019, 11:30 am
  #22  
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Originally Posted by TWA884
My wife applied for her REAL ID complaint California Driver License in mid April. She brought the documents required to prove her identity, residence and Social Security number. Three of those had our home address. She received the new license a week later.

Today, she received a letter claiming that she provided only one residency document. It asked her check a box confirming that the mailing address was correct, sign, date and send it back to the DMV in an enclosed prepaid envelope in order to satisfy the second residency requirement.

:SMH:

A template of the letter can be seen here.
It's not clear to me what the possible consequences are.

I have had mail go astray. Statistically unlikely, but that's no consolation if you are someone whose mail was never delivered. If your wife never got the notification or if she returned it but it went astray along the way, is her license revoked? Flagged?
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Old Jun 16, 2019, 11:35 am
  #23  
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Many states satisfied the second residency document in exactly this way, but by design. Rather than issuing licenses on the spot, they issue a temporary license (if the old one is expiring) and mail the new one to the listed address.

There is no such thing as 100% certainty and no number of documents can provide absolute proof of residency. But, bottom line is that this seems to work well.
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Old Jun 16, 2019, 12:15 pm
  #24  
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Originally Posted by Often1
Many states satisfied the second residency document in exactly this way, but by design. Rather than issuing licenses on the spot, they issue a temporary license (if the old one is expiring) and mail the new one to the listed address.

There is no such thing as 100% certainty and no number of documents can provide absolute proof of residency. But, bottom line is that this seems to work well.
(bolding mine)

For some people. I don't see what value has been added.

Last edited by chollie; Jun 16, 2019 at 12:22 pm
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Old Jun 16, 2019, 1:15 pm
  #25  
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Originally Posted by Often1
Many states satisfied the second residency document in exactly this way, but by design. Rather than issuing licenses on the spot, they issue a temporary license (if the old one is expiring) and mail the new one to the listed address.
In my experience, that's how it's always been in California when I had to get to go to a DMV office to get my license renewed. When renewing by mail or online, the license also came in the mail.
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Old Jun 20, 2019, 5:30 pm
  #26  
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Originally Posted by Often1
Many states satisfied the second residency document in exactly this way, but by design. Rather than issuing licenses on the spot, they issue a temporary license (if the old one is expiring) and mail the new one to the listed address.

There is no such thing as 100% certainty and no number of documents can provide absolute proof of residency. But, bottom line is that this seems to work well.
The federal government does not allow this. You have to show two residency documents per the REAL ID Act. States also are no longer allowed to issue licenses on the spot and must mail them to you, but that is a separate matter.

The feds have granted California (and other affected states) a concession that allows affected cardholders to provide their second proof of residency by checking a box on a letter. This will avoid having the situation where their licenses are no longer valid due to the DMV misinterpreting the law (or DHS being overly strict about it, depending on your perspective).
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Old Jun 21, 2019, 3:59 am
  #27  
 
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Originally Posted by cbn42
The federal government does not allow this. You have to show two residency documents per the REAL ID Act. States also are no longer allowed to issue licenses on the spot and must mail them to you, but that is a separate matter.

The feds have granted California (and other affected states) a concession that allows affected cardholders to provide their second proof of residency by checking a box on a letter. This will avoid having the situation where their licenses are no longer valid due to the DMV misinterpreting the law (or DHS being overly strict about it, depending on your perspective).
Is the "must mail the license" requirement part of the RealID Act? What's the rationale behind it? Maryland is doing it, too, even though they used to issue licenses on the spot before the RealID carp started screwing things up.
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Old Jun 21, 2019, 9:53 am
  #28  
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Exclamation Moderator's Note: Topic Drift

Reminder!

Originally Posted by TWA884
Folks,

While some natural deviation from the topic of this thread is obviously fine, please let's try to keep the focus of the discussion in this thread is California's procedures to verify REAL ID applicants' addresses and any corrective actions that are being implemented in order to comply with the Federal requirements.

If you wish to opine, criticize or debate the need for or the merits of having REAL ID, we have several threads for such discussions including the following:
Future posts discussing topics other than states' compliance with federally approved procedures for issuing REAL ID will be summarily deleted.

Thank you for understanding,

TWA884
Travel Safety/Security co-moderator
If your post is not about California's corrective procedures to comply with the federal requirements for issuing REAL ID compliant licenses and identification cards, please post in the referenced threads or start a new one. Some posts have been moved.

TWA884
Travel Safety/Security co-moderator

Last edited by TWA884; Jun 21, 2019 at 10:00 am
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Old Jun 21, 2019, 6:32 pm
  #29  
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Originally Posted by WillCAD
Is the "must mail the license" requirement part of the RealID Act? What's the rationale behind it? Maryland is doing it, too, even though they used to issue licenses on the spot before the RealID carp started screwing things up.
Yes, it is a requirement that all states issue their licenses from a secure, centralized facility. I believe the rationale is to reduce the number of people who can print licenses and the number of printing facilities. It's much easier to bribe an employee at your local DMV branch to make you a fake license than it is to get one from the state's central location.
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Old Jan 26, 2021, 10:34 am
  #30  
 
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I just got mine in CA. Nowhere on the new license/Real ID does it say "REAL ID" I'm wondering if I'm in another state and trying to go through security...to them it will look like a regular driver's license. They won't know that the Bear symbol means it is a REAL ID. So I imagine they'll swipe it through a machine. But with my wallet, the magnetic strips always get damaged or rubbed/scratched off. So I may be back to carrying my passport for even basic domestic flights.
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