RealID compliant cards offered in Reno starting Thursday

Beginning Thursday in Reno, the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles will begin issuing drivers licenses and ID cards that comply with federal regulations for identification standards.

The new license or ID card is marked with a gold star indicating it meets federal identification standards for boarding commercial aircraft and entering federal buildings where identification is required.

The new cards debuted in Carson City on Jan. 11 and the department so far has issued more than 900. The cards will be available in all offices by mid-March.

To obtain the new card, residents will have to have two documents proving Nevada residency. Utility bills, mortgage statements, rental agreements, and bank statement with the correct residential address are all acceptable.

A complete list of acceptable documents can be found on the DMV's Web site. Officials recommend that motorists visit the DMV Web site before making any major change to a license or ID card.

The DMV will be asking motorists to show proof of identity and residential address on most license transactions. Duplicates are one exception. For renewals, motorists should renew by Internet or mail if possible and wait for their next in-person renewal. Because the Department has met the first 18 bench marks of the federal Real ID Act, the licenses and ID cards Nevadans currently possess will be good for federal purposes for several years.

"The federal government will continue to accept Nevada licenses and ID cards because we are in compliance with the Real ID Act." said DMV Director Edgar Roberts.

The documents required to prove identity for a new card are the same documents Nevada already requires for first-time licensees and new residents. The difference is that DMV will be accepting only those documents it can electronically verify. The only additional information required for an ASI card is utility bills or phone bills to prove residency.

Conversion to a central issuance process for cards last year resulted in its current card being one of the toughest to alter or counterfeit.

The new cards don't have a Radio Frequency Identification chip nor is material being reported a national database of driver information.

When Gov. Jim Gibbons signed emergency regulations that allowed the department to comply with federal law, he ensured the regulations had specific language that prohibits the use of RFID chips or other technology used to track individuals was included in the final emergency regulations.

The regulations also define how the DMV will store and restrict access to personal identification data. Complete information is available at www.dmvnv.com