California's "RealID"?

[SHRED]

I am renewing my driver's license.
I have a choice.
Renew online or come into a DMV building for the RealID if I ever want to fly.

Why are they doing this?

https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv

[Nictuku]

1. Sensenbrenner

Sensenbrenner was the author of the Real ID Act way back when under Bush

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_ID_Act

[SHRED]

2. Damn

Thanks

[CountAllVotes]

3. If you have a passport you don't need the REAL ID

If you fly within the United States or enter secure federal buildings and military bases, you will need a valid passport or other federally approved document, such as a REAL ID driver license or identification card, beginning October 1, 2020.

[SHRED]

4. Thank you for that clarification

I missed that

[CountAllVotes]

5. I just went through this

Luckily I renewed my passport (good for 10 years) last year so I'm set for the foreseeable future.

That said, I had to go to the DMV for an eye test to get my license renewed. There was not a person to be seen that was opting for the REAL ID.

[SunSeeker]

6. I don't why you wouldn't want a REAL ID. It's easy to get if you're already getting a license.

You need to prove it's you by showing your Social Security card and birth certificate. Just show up with the originals so they can see them and scan them, then they give them right back to you on the spot. All you have to do to prove your residence address is show two different documents like a medical bill or a bank statement that shows your name and address. Then you're all set with a REAL ID driver's license and you don't have to worry about carrying around a passport. It doesn't cost extra. Why wouldn't you do it?

[aquamarina]

7. One of the reasons is

that in order to get a Real ID you have to go into the DMV office whereas if you opt for a regular drivers license you can simply renew online.

[SunSeeker]

9. But if you have to go in anyway for whatever reason, why wouldn't opt for REAL ID?

[aquamarina]

16. Sure, if you had to go in

but since I was given the option to renew online, why would I go in? Real ID costs more, requires an on-site appearance with documents and trying to make an appointment at the DMV in my area was a 8+ month wait. No thank you.

[CountAllVotes]

8. because ....

None of those documents that they want are any of their business.

I have a U.S. passport which is the best form of ID one can have.

Why would I want one of these REAL ID pieces of sh*t? I don't!

[Auggie]

10. Because it's cheaper than a passport?

I helped my Mom (90) get one. Hers is just an ID, and I debated if we really needed it when renewal came up, but you never know -- some day we may have to go the SS Administration. I agree -- it's total bullshit. I'll use my passport until it expires.

[SunSeeker]

11. It is their business if they need to know you're who you say you are.

They can't certify that without those documents, at least not to the level required for federal/national security purposes. Yes, a US passport is the best, but I don't like traveling with it domestically when I don't need it and risk losing it/having it stolen.

Also, a passport costs a lot of money to obtain/renew (around $100 last time I got mine renewed) and expensive to replace if lost/stolen.

If all you're doing is domestic travel, you don't need a US pasport, so why not get REAL ID for free if you're alreading getting a driver's license? You only have to show these docs once, then you're set for all future license renewals, you just do the normal renewal steps after that.

I understand the aversion to giving any entity personal identification documents, but I trust the State of California at least as much (actually, a lot more) as I do the federal government under Trump.

[CountAllVotes]

12. *them*

>>I trust the State of California at least as much (actually, a lot more) as I do the federal government under Trump.

That is the difference. I do not trust ANY of *them*. Nope.

I've kept a valid passport since I was in my 20s.

Will continue to have one as long as able to renew it.

[SunSeeker]

14. Well, you trusted the feds with your passport.

Like I said, I trust CA way more than the feds.

[stopbush]

20. I went today. Wanted to get the Real ID but didn't have physical paperwork needed

so I just renewed my CA DL. Made an appt for Nov to get the Real ID.

[Control-Z]

13. I just got mine a few weeks ago.

Bring a few back up documents for each category. What you think is enough is likely NOT. Lol.

Honestly, it you show up prepared it's a breeze.

[Dr Vegas]

15. At Least Calif has their act together

It has been a big clusterfk in New Jersey. My license was up for renewal at the end of July, In May I email the DMV to ask about RealID and when it was going to be rolled. They claimed they were going to do it in the spring. May No. June No July NO, now we are in August and no rollout for Real ID. I even signed up for them to email me when it was ready. I finally renewal by Mail, and they said if I want a Real ID when it finally rolls out I can go to the DMV with my license and they will exchange it for an additional 13 Dollars My sister suggest that I get a Passport

[BigmanPigman]

17. When i renewed my passport I also got a wallet ID Passport

for about $10 more. It is easier to carry around than an actual passport.

[Journeyman]

18. When I applied for mine, I was told I needed to prove who I am . . .

When I politely showed them my state issued, California driver's license, I was told that was insufficient. I needed my birth certificate, which I could get from the local Bureau of Records in Los Angeles County.

Before the Bureau would issue my birth certificate, however, I had to prove who I was. This required I show my driver's license.

I thought that was as absurd as it could get but I was gleefully mistaken. To further prove who I am, I had to show them my Social Security card (which is clearly labeled "Not to be Used for Identification" ), as well as two proofs of residence (my property tax bill and a utility bill). After all this, I was issued the Real ID. To my surprise, however, I received a letter a few weeks later from the State. To make my Real ID real I had to provide yet another proof of residence. To do this, I had to sign and return the letter they had just sent me.

I frankly have no idea whatsoever what they're doing all this for. I suppose it's to somehow make us safer, but I'm not getting the vibe when the process to get it is such a circus act.

[Brother Buzz]

19. People told me the DMV visit involves...

having an microchip implanted in you, but I think they are pulling my leg.