New Driver's License

In pertinent part:
Friday, July 29, 2005
St. Louis Post-Dispatch



"I can tell already it's going to be a big hassle because for ladies, when they get married, their name changes and then they are going to have to bring in their marriage certificate along with their birth certificate. People that have been married two and three times and divorced, they're going to have to bring in all this documentation to show how their name changed because they're not going to go back to their maiden name every time."

And Loughary emphasizes that not just any birth certificate will do.

"You have to have the original one with the seal," she said. "A lot of people just have the one that the hospital issues with the hospital seal on it and that one is not acceptable, we have to have the state-issued one."

The new law will also impact legal immigrants who want to obtain a driver's license or a state ID card.

"They want to make sure that people who are not U.S. citizens have their current paperwork and that they're up to date on all their immigration paperwork too," Loughary said.

Customers who are U.S. citizens and are applying for a driver's permit, driver's license, or state-issued ID card will be required to produce one of the following – a state or local government-issued birth certificate, a valid U.S. passport, a Certificate of Citizenship, a Certificate of Naturalization, or a Certificate of Birth Abroad.

"For some people it won't be a problem," Loughary said "For younger people that have their birth certificate it's not going to be that big of a deal, but for older people, sometimes they lose them."

In addition to addressing concerns about homeland security, officials with the Department of Revenue say the new requirements will crack down on identity theft, the nation's fastest growing crime.

"A driver's license has become the most requested form of ID in America and we all depend on the accuracy of the information present on a license," said department director Trish Vincent.

"I understand some of our customers will find the new requirements difficult, but we are committed to providing the best service possible and to ensure that the work we do can be counted on by our customers, law enforcement, and everyone else who uses a driver's license as a means of identification."

For more information about the new requirements, call the Department of Revenue, (573) 751-2730, or visit their Web site, www.dor.mo.gov/mvdl/drivers/idrequirements.htm.