(Sean Whaley/ Nevada News Bureau) – Nevada’s first drivers’ licenses and identification cards that comply with the federal Real ID Act will be issued beginning Monday in Carson City.
The Advanced Secure Issuance, or ASI, is a new license or ID card 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 will then roll out Feb. 1 in Reno followed by the rest of the state.
Because the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles has met the first 18 benchmarks of the federal Real ID Act, the licenses and ID cards Nevadans currently possess will be good for federal purposes for several years. The department recommends that motorists wait until their normal renewal date in the years ahead before applying for an ASI card.
“This will not have any immediate impact on most Nevadans,” said DMV Director Edgar Roberts. “The federal government will continue to accept Nevada licenses and ID cards because we are in compliance with the Real ID Act.”
The documents required to prove identity for an ASI 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 a utility bill or phone bill to prove residency.
The department says that some concerns about the Real ID Act have no basis in fact, such as the act requiring a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chip in driver’s licenses or a national database of driver information.
When Gov. Jim Gibbons signed emergency regulations last month that allowed the department to comply with federal law, he included specific language to prohibit the use of RFID chips or other technology used to track individuals. The regulations also define how the DMV will store and restrict access to personal identification data.
