Department of Transportation

HONOLULU – The State of Hawaii’s enhanced requirements for Driver’s Licenses and State Identification Cards have been deemed as fully compliant with the Real ID Act of 2005, following a review and certification by the Department of Homeland Security. 

New identification requirements to prove “Legal Presence,” confirming that a person is either a U.S. citizen or is legally authorized to be in the United States, for state-issued Driver’s Licenses took effect in Hawaii on March 5, 2012, and for State Identification Cards on January 2, 2013, to conform with the Real ID Act.

“With this federal certification, Hawaii now officially meets the standards of the Real ID Act, which creates uniform requirements for all state-issued identification cards nationwide,” said state Department of Transportation Director Glenn Okimoto.  “We want to thank our counties for their immense cooperation and we especially want to thank the public for their patience during the transition period.”

For more information on requirements for Driver’s Licenses, please visit https://hidot.hawaii.gov/hawaiis-legal-presence-law/.  For more information on requirements for State Identification Cards, please visit https://hidot.hawaii.gov/hawaiistateid/.