I have to appear in person to renew my driver's license this time. And bring a lot of paper work to prove - well I don't know what it will prove.

One of the things I have bring is a birth certificate. I have one made when I was born - it is an old-fashioned thermal paper copy with a raised seal. This is no longer "valid," I have to have the new one printed on fancy, state of Texas paper.

So, I go to get one. Guess what you have to have to have to get a birth certificate.

Twenty-three dollars and your driver's license. That is all.

You have to get your birth certificate to renew your driver's license which only requires that you have your driver's license.

The exercise is entirely circular.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: jhe888,

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:
I have to appear in person to renew my driver's license this time. And bring a lot of paper work to prove - well I don't know what it will prove.

One of the things I have bring is a birth certificate. I have one made when I was born - it is an old-fashioned thermal paper copy with a raised seal. This is no longer "valid," I have to have the new one printed on fancy, state of Texas paper.

So, I go to get one. Guess what you have to have to have to get a birth certificate.

Twenty-three dollars and your driver's license. That is all.

You have to get your birth certificate to renew your driver's license which only requires that you have your driver's license.

The exercise in entirely circular.

Went through the same thing a couple years back here in MD. I got to use my passport for proof of identity, but they needed a freaking utility bill and something else (I forget what) for proof of residency. It was a PITA.

But hey, now you'll be RealID compliant. Which matters because... border security?

-Rob

My wife just did hers & didn't need her birth cert (which would be CA in her case).
IIRC she had her DL & passport & that was sufficient.

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:
Guess what you have to have to have to get a birth certificate.

Twenty-three dollars and your driver's license. That is all.

Now THAT is pretty surprising.

A passport would have been an option, but mine is expired.

The complete list is, DL, SS card, birth certificate, registration for cars, insurance for cars, two proofs of residence (utility bill, etc.)

It is all theater.

Thanks for the reminder. Mine expired last week.

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:
A passport would have been an option, but mine is expired.

The complete list is, DL, SS card, birth certificate, registration for cars, insurance for cars, two proofs of residence (utility bill, etc.)

It is all theater.

Yep went though that a few years back, think it's more to do with getting all the validations on your DL as well.

PIA really, the birth certificate is funny

I had to do that song and dance several years ago. Had to get my mom in NC to go to the courthouse, get a certified copy, FedEx it to me and then the DMV goon here barely glanced at it.

Went through this shit four years ago. Go to the TSA to renew my Hazmat for my CDL.
Wouldn't accept my birth certificate, wasn't an embossed seal on it. Born in 1960, I said
you have accepted this since the CDL was started. Too bad, sucks to be you.
Had to contact Indiana to get a new birth certificate, I got it one day before my license
expired. Go to the BMV with birth certificate, SS card and utility bill. Utility bill has
my correct name and address but below the address said lot # 158. She said what's this lot
number? I told her when they build new subdivisions, each house has a lot number.
NOPE, no good. Had to go home and get something else.
What a nightmare, and my current license expires a month from now.

South Dakota started issuing Real ID driver's licenses in 2009 in compliance with the Real ID Act Congress passed in 2005. Got mine when I renewed in 2013. Had to bring my then valid passport as part of meeting the eligibility requirements include providing proof of date of birth, identity and legal status or presence in the United States; proof of Social Security Number; and two forms of documentation to confirm state residency.

Renewed every 5 years since. All with the Real ID "gold star" in the upper right hand corner.


And yeah, my son's all went through the BS to get "updated" copies of their birth certificates as the originals issued from Kalifornia for their births at a military hospital weren't acceptable. #@$%^&!

Sounds like typical government bS.

I recently renewed my drivers license and fortunately it went smoothly I just did it on line and they used the picture on my current license. In WV our license is for 5 years and everyone's comes due on their birthday.

Renewing a DL or registering my kids for school makes me wish I was an illegal immigrant, so I could just bypass all the paperwork.

Michigan wanted 412 documents to verify my paltry existence in order to get renew with RealID. Spent hours hunting it all down.
When I arrived at the S of S office with my ream of paper, the chick working just took my old OL and processed the renewal.
Never once looked at all the papers they claimed they wanted. Not once. What a joke!

When I went to upgrade my DL to Real ID one of the acceptable documents was a Social Security card . I gave the guy my card and he said he couldn't accept it . It was my old original card issued decades ago that still said " Not to be used for identification. " The new ones don't have that anymore . I realize that the CARD is not to be used for identification but the Federal Government website said it was ok in this case. I have since obtained a replacement card that doesn't have that statement on it .

At my last DL renewal I brought my probably 50-year old original SS card as one item of proof to get a "Real ID".

Way back then I laminated it. They couldn’t accept it as proof because it was laminated.

Ridiculous!

quote:

Originally posted by h2oys:
At my last DL renewal I brought my probably 50-year old original SS card as one item of proof to get a "Real ID".

Way back then I laminated it. They couldn’t accept it as proof because it was laminated.

Ridiculous!

Mine was laminated too but he never mentioned that . He was more concerned about the wording on the bottom of the card . Crazy .

^^^I am surprised your person actually read the card.

If they require all of that stuff in order to get a driver's license, wouldn't you think that your expired license (the one you had to present all that stuff to get) would be ID enough?

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:
If they require all of that stuff in order to get a driver's license, wouldn't you think that your expired license (the one you had to present all that stuff to get) would be ID enough?

This dance is for a “RealID” that is ID that actually means you are who the ID says you are as opposed to “ID” that is not really proof of who you is because so many states have such lax standards for state Driver Licenses and “ID”. So, technically I guess non “RealID” compliant ID is essentially “FakeID”.


WA state charges an extra $7/yr for their “Enhanced” DL (Real ID compliant). Being philosophically opposed to issuing ID that doesn’t necessarily identify the bearer, I takes issue with paying “extra” for an ID that actually ID’s me.


I’d rather put the extra $80 for 10 years worth of “RealID” towards my Passport Book and Passport Card fees ($160/good for 10 years) which I am going to be paying for anyway, is actually ID, and does everything for me that a state issued RealID would.


I am all for anything that keeps me from giving one extra nickel to this f’in state and cant wait until I am able to leave it!