The REAL ID Act of 2005 and Drivers Licenses

REAL ID Act Proposed Rule The Final Rule Implementation in the States Practice Tools

The Real ID Act, passed in 2005 with a scheduled effective date of May 2008, requires states to verify the legal status of applicants for drivers licenses and state identification cards. Additionally, the Act requires international applicants to provide either a social security number or evidence that they are ineligible for one. The implementation of REAL ID will have a significant affect on the workload of international student and scholar advisors as they assist newly-arrived internationals adjust to life in the U.S. The following resources provide information about these developments.

May 29, 2008 presentation by Darrell Williams, Director, REAL ID, Department of Homeland Security to the 2008 NAFSA national conference in Washington, D.C.

June 22, 2007 presentation on REAL ID Act by Denise C. Hammond, Esq., of the law firm Tobin, O'Conner, Ewing & Richard, to Washington, D.C., area International Student and Scholar Advisers. This presentation is copyrighted and is posted with the permission of Ms. Hammond. Inquiries regarding use of materials in the powerpoint presentation should be directed to Ms. Hammond dchammond@tobinoconnor.com.

The REAL ID Act

Text of the REAL ID Act;DHS REAL ID website

Summary of REAL ID Act by National Conference of State Legislatures

The REAL ID Act: National Impact Analysis, a report cowritten by the National Governor's Association, the National Conference of State Legislatures, and the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators.

NAFSA's Public Policy resource page on REAL ID

October 27, 2003 Congressional Research Service's Summary of State Laws on Issuance of Drivers Licenses

Proposed Rule

March 9, 2007 DHS Proposed Rule

Comments on the proposed rule by National Immigration Law Center; American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators

The Final Rule

January 29, 2008 DHS Final Rule

Joint acknowledgment of the release of DHS' final regulations by National Governor's Association, the National Conference of State Legislatures, and the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators.

National Conference of State Legislatures' series of briefings on the final rule series of briefings on the final rule (compiled version, taken from documents available from the NCSL website.)

National Immigration Law Center's Q&A about the final regulations.

Implementation in the States

The National Conference of State Legislatures maintains a database of States' Legislation pertaining to REAL ID. According to NCSL, this database is updated daily.

June 20, 2008, DHS announcement of $79 Million in federal grants for states for implementation of REAL ID.

Practice Tools

Check out the following Web page for information on Social Security Numbers