REAL ID: Prepare The Documents
Posted by Richard on August 7, 2019
Most states, by 2020, will require drivers license applicants to supply a stack of documents to prove their identity and get a REAL ID drivers license.
People don’t have to get a REAL ID, but if they don’t, they won’t be able to board a plane or enter some federal buildings beginning October 2020.
For anyone who hasn’t kept track of vital documents, this could prove tricky. For seniors, whose lives may have involved more than one name, more than one marriage, or a non-US birth, this could prove to be an unpleasant treasure hunt.
All states have instituted the REAL ID, a program of the Transportation Security Administration.
You must show up in person at the state drivers license bureau with certified documents that establish:
* Identity: Certified Birth Certificate or valid passport or passport card. (A military ID won’t work.)
* Lawful Status: Valid passport or certified birth certificate.
* Social Security Number: Non-laminated social security card or W-2 form. Social Security card must match legal name.
* State residency: Two proofs needed. Utility bill, valid homeowner’s or car insurance policy, or pre-printed pay stub.
One key idea is that your legal name today must match some identity documents.
So, if you were born Smith and married Jones, you will have to show a valid passport showing your name as Jones. Or, you can show your birth certificate (Smith), and your certified marriage license (Smith to Jones).
Multiple marriages
Now suppose a woman is married multiple times and each time changes her name. That is where it gets more complicated. You must be able to present documents that show the transition from your birth name to your legal name today.
Suppose you are born Smith, you marry Jones, then later marry Miller. You need your Smith birth certificate. Your Jones marriage certificate (or divorce decree). And then your Miller marriage certificate.
If you changed back to your maiden name
Now, suppose your name goes from Smith to Jones to Miller, but after your marriage to Jones, you take your maiden name, Smith. Now, your marriage certificate to Miller shows your name is Smith. All you need is your birth certificate (Smith) and your Miller marriage certificate (which says Smith to Miller), according to the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles, which has one of the strictest REAL ID requirements of any state.