Getting a new driver’s license? You’ll have to wait

Ohioans are no longer be able to get their driver’s licenses on the same day they’re issued.

Instead, they have to wait no more than 10 days to receive their licenses in the mail. According to the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles, this will make the system more secure and comply with federal regulations.

Ohioans won’t be without a license in the meantime — they will be issued a temporary identification form on-site that will expire 45 days after it’s issued.

“The extra level of security provided through centralized card production provides greater protection against counterfeiting and complies with all state and federal security standards,” Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles Spokesperson Lindsey Bohrer said.

The new driver’s licenses and identification cards have a different look and offer different options to recipients. Ohioans can chose between federally compliant licenses and non-compliant licenses, which are called standard.

Compliant identification licenses require more forms on the application end, but they then can be used to fly commercially or to access federal facilities or military bases, according to the BMV. To do those things with a standard license, or non-compliant identification form, residents will need to have with them another form of identification, like a passport.

Drivers who want to renew a standard license will need to take their existing license or ID card to the BMV.

Bohrer said that while Ohioans won’t get their licenses at their local BMV anymore, they’ll still register and go through the process there.

Those who select a compliant identification will need to have some extra information with them, including documents to prove their full legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, proof of Ohio residency proof of legal presence.

The change is a jump-start to meet new federal travel requirements going into effect in 2020, according to the BMV. Ohio licenses issued before July 2, 2018, will not be accepted by the TSA after October 1, 2020, and the BMV encourages Ohioans to renew their licenses early to avoid travel conflicts.

“If you want to be able to use your DL-ID to board a plane after October 1, 2020, renew early and follow the guidelines for issuance of a compliant card,” a statement on the BMV’s website reads.

There’s no extra cost for compliant licenses. A star in the upper-right corner of the licenses will designate compliant licenses, according to the BMV.

Forty-one other states provided licenses and identification cards through the mail, this publication previously reported.

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