Beginning July 2, Ohioans will no longer be immediately issued a new card for their driver’s license or other identification when they visit any of the more than 180 deputy registrars around the state.
Ohio said Wednesday it is ending the same-day issuing of Ohio driver’s licenses and will mail them instead to save money and increase security.
The process will be same, “you just won’t leave with a driver’s license or ID card,” Lindsey Bohrer, a spokesperson with the Ohio Bureau for Motor Vehicles, said Thursday.
Instead, licenses will arrive in the mail about 10 days after they’re issued once the change takes effect, the Department of Public Safety said. Drivers will be issued temporary licenses and ID cards in the meantime.
Bohrer said the temporary cards will serve as proper ID for voter identification. She also said the old driver’s license or ID will be given back to the owner – with a hole punched in it – and can be used at other places where an ID is required until the new license or ID arrives in the mail.
Drivers can also request driver’s licenses or ID cards that meet federal regulations for travel. Travel restrictions taking effect in October 2020 will require federally compliant driver’s licenses to pass through airport security. There is no extra cost for those licenses.
A star in the upper right hand corner of licenses will designate those compliant with federal regulations. Obtaining that credential will require documents such as birth certificates or passports, copies of Social Security cards and utility bills showing people’s address.
Residents who must renew before July 2 will have to renew again within two years if they want the federally compliant ID. There’s no reduction in license fees the second time for people in that position because fees are set by lawmakers, said Kristen Castle, Public Safety Department spokeswoman.
The current fee of $25.75 to renew a driver’s license will not change, Bohrer said.
Ohio joins 41 other states that provide licenses and ID cards through the mail.
“The extra level of security provided through centralized card production provides greater protection against counterfeiting and complies with all state and federal security standards. …Centralizing the production of driver licenses and identification cards will reduce driver license fraud and identify theft,” the Ohio BMV said in a news release.
Some of the other highlights of the new process, according to the Ohio BMV, include:
• Customers interested in using their state-issued credential for access to federal facilities or services, such as airport security screening by the Transportation Safety Administration for boarding commercial airlines, may choose to obtain a credential that meets all federal requirements.
• Customers not interested in or not needing to use their state-issued credential for federal identification purposes will have the option of obtaining a standard driver’s license or identification card without additional document requirements beyond those currently in place.
“Customers will still initiate driver license and identification card transactions by visiting a Deputy Registrar agency, presenting documents (as needed) and be photographed,” the news release said. “Driver licenses and identification cards will continue to be valid for four years and require a new photograph with every renewal. Customer costs will remain the same for both the standard and compliant cards.”
Reach Jeff Gilliland at 937-402-2522 or [email protected].
