The Real ID Act was passed by Congress in May of 2005 and went into effect on May 11, 2008. However, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) did not issue the final implementation rules for the Act until January 9, 2008.
Nevada has received an extension from DHS. This extension allows all existing Nevada licenses and ID cards to be accepted for federal purposes through December 31, 2014. The Real ID Act requires proof of identity, date of birth, social security number, lawful status and primary resident address for those who wish to obtain state-issued Real ID compliant driver’s license or identification card accepted for federal official purposes.
The Nevada DMV has not set a start date; however, we anticipate implementation to be in late 2009 or early 2010. The DMV is committed to making the issuance of Real ID compliant DL/ID’s as easy and efficient as possible.
Obtaining a Real ID compliant card will be optional in Nevada. If you choose to renew your existing driver’s license or identification card under existing requirements, you may do so.
If you want to obtain a Real ID compliant driver’s license or identification card at your next renewal (after implementation is complete), you will be asked to show proof of identity, date of birth, social security number, lawful status, and evidence of your primary resident address. See Acceptable Documentation for a Real ID Compliant Driver’s License or Identification Card.
Please wait and allow the DMV to specify your renewal date. There is no advantage in obtaining a compliant card early.
If you were born on or after December 1, 1964, you have until December 1, 2014, to obtain a Real-ID card accepted for official federal purposes. If you were born earlier than December 1, 1964, you can wait until December 1, 2017.
After these deadlines, all U.S. residents will be required to show either a Real ID compliant driver’s license or identification card, or other DHS approved document to board an aircraft, enter nuclear power plants or enter federal buildings where official federal identification is required.
The Real ID Act has a number of requirements that will not be immediately apparent to the public, but which must be met for our licenses and ID cards to be Real ID compliant.
Chief among these are the requirements that the department must scan the documents you present for proof of identity, date of birth, social security number, and lawful status and verify their authenticity. Proof of residency will also be scanned. The Nevada DMV already verifies Social Security numbers and has the capability to verify immigration status when needed. The Real ID Act requires electronic verification of U.S. Passports, birth certificates, and all documents issued by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The Real ID Act calls on states to verify that residents possess only one state-issued Real ID identification. This is known as the "One Driver, One License" concept. It is already the law in Nevada and most other states. In fact, all states already verify whether commercial drivers possess only one license through the Commercial Driver License Information System.
The Real ID Act has numerous security provisions including the security of personal information for our customers, background checks for DMV employees, fraudulent document training, and secure facilities for license production. The Nevada DMV currently meets or exceeds all of these requirements with its existing programs.