The Boston Globe’s Adam Vaccaro explains new procedures coming to the MA RMV.
The huge shutdown is necessary to install software that can, among other tasks, issue new types of “Real ID” driver’s licenses required by federal law as a security safeguard in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks. Pollack said officials timed the closure to minimize interference with the end-of-the-month crush from drivers with expiring inspection stickers scrambling for a new one.
And when the RMV comes back on line, Massachusetts drivers will see big changes—including waiting in line if they want a new type of licenses instead of renewing online. Drivers seeking to renew or get a new driver’s license will need to bring several documents to the RMV, one that shows their Social Security number, another proving US citizenship such as a passport, or that shows lawful presence in the country, like an employment authorization card. Applicants will also need two documents proving Massachusetts residency, such as utility bills or bank statements.
Drivers aren’t required to obtain a Real ID, but if they don’t, their license will no longer be a valid form of identification for boarding a flight within the US, or entering a federal building after October 2020. Instead, they would need to use a passport.
The state will also issue non-Real ID-compliant licenses that nonetheless will require drivers to show more documentation than previously, including proof of citizenship or lawful presence, and a single document showing proof of residency. These licenses can still be renewed online. Previously, only holders of US visas had been required to provide such documentation for license renewals.
How confidant are you that the software update will actually work on Monday? How likely is it that all MA residents have a current passport? Why plan this update at the end of March if the objective is not to interfere in the end of the month crush? Other thoughts?
Italics mine.
The thought that any American citizen will be forced to show a passport in order to travel domestically should be genuinely alarming to everyone. The federal government fundamentally changed after 9-11, none of it for the better. The nightmare society once envisioned by George Orwell has truly come to pass, with unprecedented levels of domestic spying and government control over American citizens. These new “driver’s licences” are one more step toward the totalitarian dream of a national ID. They are just the government’s tags for their sheep.
It’s not the government, but corporate America that now knows everything about me.
I’m about to withdraw my Facebook page because I think their actions with regard to Russia and the last election border on treasonous.
The latest dustup involving Facebook and Cambridge Analytica makes it pretty clear that we have far more to fear from intrusive corporate technology than anything the government can do. A case in point. I worked for the 2010 Census and there were draconian restrictions on what we could say about any data we collected from households and businesses. I wound up enumerating my own street, but I was forbidden to tell any homeowner what I had gathered on their home address, members of their family or any other data we collected. I could not tell my neighbor Millie what I had put down about any information she gave me. That’s how sensitive we were to unfounded public fears that the Census was going to use the information we gathered for some deep plot against its citizens. I’ve also worked on some government consulting projects since retiring. The rules we have for openness and public involvement far transcend what any corporation must provide. I don’t want to disparage the private sector, but I’ve worked for federal, state and local agencies. There are always clunkers and deadwood, but the vast majority are dedicated and honest public servants who try their best for the citizens they serve. It’s a shame that public servants from the FBI to EPA are constantly disparaged as “faceless bureaucrats” with their own agenda. It’s been going on since George Wallace and our country and people going to suffer if these senseless and broad brush attacks on public servants persist.
Mike, my thoughts exactly.
Along with some others. After 13 years why now? Computer chips in passports and credit cards make it easier to steal a person’s identity. They require sleeves to protect them. Now identity thieves will have a field day with these national IDs.
The IRS already has a huge problem because of stolen SS numbers leading to the theft of identities. This happened to me. It took me from 2011 to 2017 to prove that I am the real me and not someone using a Las Vegas rental listing filing false information and receiving refunds. All the while the IRS was sending me demand letters to pay amounts I did not owe and threatening to put liens on my property
Why should a license to drive require a passport? Why should those who have no reason or the livehood to need a passport not be able to drive?
I completely agree with Bob about threats posed by corporate America. But it’s the government, not corporations that are behind these new travel rules.
You don’t need a passport…all you need is a birth certificate. The requirements read:
For U.S. citizens, a valid, unexpired U.S. passport is sufficient proof of lawful presence. U.S. citizens may also provide a certified copy of their U.S. birth certificate.
@Mike Striar. I think we are actually on the same frequency. I was mainly defending the folks I worked with in DC at EPA and the National Park Service.
Totally on the same frequency, Bob. Emerging technology presents innumerable challenges to a free society, regardless of whether it’s abused by corporate America or the government. I hope someday a new Teddy Roosevelt will ride onto the scene and give giant corporations their comeuppance. Not quite sure who’s going to save us from an out-of-control government though. It’s a daunting prospect.
There’s a zero percent chance they actually complete this migration on time. Hope nobody’s got an expired license or trying to buy a car.
The new licensing requirements are raising concern from some advocates for immigrants, who oppose an amendment included in the new law clarifying that only someone with lawful immigration status can get any kind of driver’s license. This means that for the first time, everyone applying for a license in Massachusetts will have to prove they are in the U.S. legally.
Per the new rules:
Lawful presence means that a person is legally living in the United States according to federal immigration laws. All U.S. citizens and lawfully permanent residents have permanent lawful presence in the U.S. Non-U.S. citizens who are studying, working, or living temporarily in the U.S. may have temporary lawful presence that may vary in length.
For U.S. citizens, a valid, unexpired U.S. passport is sufficient proof of lawful presence. U.S. citizens may also provide a certified copy of their U.S. birth certificate.
For permanent residents, a valid permanent resident card (green card) is sufficient proof of lawful presence.
For customers who are not U.S. citizens, you need to provide valid, verifiable immigration documents as well as proof that you have been granted a legal stay in the U.S. for at least 12 months. Your license or ID will expire when your legal stay is over.