washington, dc driver's license 2023

  

washington, dc driver's license

This month, Washington State begins issuing newly designed driver licenses and ID cards aimed at better-protecting residents from identity theft.

Can a foreigner get a US driver's license?

This new card system has incredible security features in it that will really decrease the number of counterfeit cards that exist out in the world. There's just so much identity theft out there that it's really important that we go through that process so that we protect the citizens of Washington.

The backside of the cards will have unique barcode information and ultraviolet ink. On the front side, all cards will feature a new color at the top. For example, a driver's license will have a blue header color. The color of the enhanced driver's licenses header is Salmon.

This is a document that is more than a driver's license or a privilege to drive. It's your identification document. And so it does allow us to take advantage of technology that exists today to ensure that the identity of the person is secure, that the document is secure.

How do I get a new license in DC?

These cards will first be issued at select licensing offices.

We elected to roll this out in a phased approach, rolling out several offices per week. We plan to start in February time period, and sometime this summer, we would finish the rollout to all of our 56 offices.

So what about your current license or ID card? Don't worry, you won't need to take any special steps.

You would continue with your driver's license that you have in place until you're up for renewal. That driver's license is still valid and is still a document that you can use. And as your driver's license expires, then you would come in and get the new document. So we plan to transition people as their license expires.

What documents do I need to get a DC driver's license?

Temporary driver's licenses and temporary ID cards will also look different. These documents will be printed on a full sheet of paper and will not include a photo

It's very similar to when you renew your driver's license online. One of the major reasons to the change is that the current temporary driver's license is so similar to your original driver's license that you get in the mail that it creates this false sense of security and people are relying on it as if it is an original document. And it definitely is much easier to create fraud using that temporary document. So we wanted to move away from that to not create the perception that it is an original document and also to prevent fraud from happening.

How much does it cost to get a DC license?

As the state developed all of these changes, it saw an opportunity at its licensing offices too.

It was a great opportunity for us to look at process improvement and look at how our customers flowed through the office.

A decision was made to change that flow. Upon arriving at a licensing office, a customer's first contact will now be with someone who will review their documents, making sure the customer brought the required documentation for obtaining a driver's license or ID card.

This will save our customers a lot of time. They won't have to sit around and wait and then come up and find out that they didn't have the required documents. They'll immediately find that out and be able to know what they need to come back with and at the same time it doesn't back up the lines so the customers that have all the required documents can get served immediately as well.

You can also expect to see that change made at licensing offices statewide by this summer.