Marked with a gold star, cards meet federal identification standards

The Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles will begin Advanced Secure Issuance (ASI) in Las Vegas beginning Monday, Feb. 22.

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 first Las Vegas office to issue the new cards will be the Flamingo office on Monday, Feb. 22.

The rollout will continue to the Donovan commercial office Feb. 23, the Henderson office Feb. 24, the Decatur branch Feb. 25 and the Sahara office on Friday, Feb. 26.

The rollout will then continue to the rural offices with completion set for March 18.

ASI debuted in Carson City Jan. 11 and in Reno Feb. 11.

The biggest change coming with ASI is that the Department will require two documents proving Nevada residency.

Utility bills, mortgage statements, rental agreements, and bank statements with the correct residential address are all acceptable.

A complete list of acceptable documents can be found on the Department’s website.

The Department also recommends that motorists visit its website 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 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 utility bills or phone bills to prove residency.

Nevada’s compliance with the Real ID Act has not been plagued by some of the problems of other states.

Nevada has had one of the highest standards of identity in the nation for its licenses and ID cards for years.

Also, the Department’s migration to a central issuance process for cards last year resulted in its current card being one of the toughest to alter or counterfeit.

Nevada has also been aggressive in pursing federal dollars to fund the compliance and, to date, has secured $3.7 million in federal grants.

Also, some of the 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 Governor 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 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.