Oh, IOW, you never applied for the real CDL. You need to go to the CA DMV with proof of your residence in several different ways. Also, prove you are you.
No need for separate DMV real ID if the CA DMV puts the correct image on our CDLs when we renew them. Meanwhile, since we ordered the passport cards, they will give us the real ID we need for domestic use without the passports or the CDLs.
We have the docs we need if we were to apply for it. But there are numerous online reports of folks having issues. Why would we bother getting separate real ID cards?
The "Real" CADL is the same procedure as the CA "Real" ID card, other than the driving part.
What type of issues? No need for a "real" CA ID card if you already have a CA "real" Driver's License.
Sorry, but I really do understand. Our CDLs are not yet due for renewal. So, rather than make an early trip to the nearest DMV (Tracy), it was much easier and quicker to apply online for the passport cards along with the passports. The cards are the same size as my CDL, and fit in the same pocket of my billfold.
That's probably why you had to surrender the old ones?
That makes two of us. You said:
That's how it was reported at the time, and I suppose it stuck with me.
I'm saying that, given the ease with which we were able to renew passports/cards online, we don't need to hassle with the DMV until our drivers licenses get renewed; We'll make one visit instead of two.
Thanks Pam, I wasn't aware of the EDL. Looks like they're currently available in 5 states.
That's what I thought/assumed since they were issued.
So, an enhanced civilian DL will get you into MX, but a current or retired military ID card won't. Even though a current or retired military ID card is accepted as ID for domestic carrier (airline) use and viewed the same as an enhanced ID.Regarding driver’s licenses, there is a difference between a “real ID” DL and an “enhanced DL.” They can be identified by a star (RDL) or an US flag (EDL). Only a few states provide EDL, and they have an RFID chip that border control can use instead of a passport for crossings from Mexico. Officially RDL can’t be used to return to the US, but I have seen them used a lot when folks return from Algodones, MX. I know Utah had to recall a bunch of licenses where they used the wrong symbol, so maybe that is what happened in CA.
Enhanced Drivers Licenses: What Are They? | Homeland Security
Enhanced Drivers Licenses (EDLs) are state-issued enhanced drivers licenses that provide proof of identity and U.S. citizenship.www.dhs.gov
When we've crossed into MX by road, boat or walking, we weren't asked to show any ID. But, when we returned to the US it's a different ball game.
That's what I've been told. A lot of people in this area travel down to Rocky Point at Puerto Penasco, MX. Getting there isn't an issue; getting back again can be problematic.
Mexico doesn’t care what you use to get in; it is the US that cares what you use to get back. And it is perfectly possible for a non-US citizen to have a military ID. None of that is of any relation to what a domestic airline does. International border crossings have their own rules.
I understand that. It's also possible for a non-citizen to carry an enhanced DL. My point was that it doesn't make any sense that, as you stated, an enhanced ID carried by John Q Public is good for crossing from MX but a military ID - which is considered the same thing as an enhanced ID - is not.
