Starting in July, you won’t be able to visit the DMV and walk out with a brand new driver’s license due to major security and design changes issued by the Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White.
So, after waiting hours in line, staring at portrait after portrait of Jesse White, you’ll be handed a temporary paper card with a photo. In order to get your actual driver’s license or identification card, you’ll have to wait up to 45 days while your information is sent out for a series of fraud checks (since showing up armed with a million different documents to prove your identity is clearly not enough). Your new, real driver's license will be mailed to you within 15 business days. However, beginning this week, any renewal applicants will receive their driver's license in the mail with the new changes.
The centralized process is in compliance with REAL ID requirements mandated by the Department of Homeland Security. By using an off-site facility, driver's licenses and identification cards can be made with anti-counterfeit technology, something that can't be done over-the-counter. Illinois joins 39 other states that have moved toward completing these standards.
In 2014, Illinois ranked number 12 out of 50 states for worst identity theft as reported by the Insurance Information Institute. When someone steals your identity, over a third of thieves use that information to create fraudulent government documents. Hopefully these new security measures, as annoying as they are, will help lower that statistic.
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