Effective July 2, 2018, the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) is changing how Ohioans will receive their driver’s license or identification card. Instead of receiving a card while you wait at the office, the driver’s license or ID card will be mailed to you from a centralized, secure facility.
The agency
explains that the new process will provide enhanced protections against counterfeiting and comply with state and federal security standards.
To request a new or renewed driver’s license or identification card, you still will go to a deputy registrar to process your request, but that office will issue only a temporary card or confirmation of driving privileges. Your actual driver’s license or identification card will be mailed to you about 10 days later in a plain white envelope.
According to the BMV, centralized production of the cards will reduce driver’s license fraud and identity theft by ensuring driver’s licenses and identification cards are issued to legitimate cardholders only, preventing theft of secure materials from deputy registrars, and providing a more secure printing environment.
In addition to the new mailing process, the BMV also is providing customers with an option to receive a card that complies with new federal travel rules, which take effect in October 2020. If you choose to receive this “compliant” card, you will be required to provide documentation proving your name and date of birth (such as a birth certificate or passport), Social Security number (such as a Social Security card), and two additional documents proving your residential address (such as utility bills). More information about acceptable documents for both the standard and compliant cards can be found
on the BMV’s website.
Regardless of which option you choose, obtaining driver’s licenses and ID cards still will require a visit to a deputy registrar’s office and a new photo with each renewal. Also, the card still will be valid for four years.
Any time there is a change in procedure, there is the potential for scams. To protect yourself, be wary of anyone who asks you to:
- Wire money to receive a new driver’s license or identification card.
- Give out personal information, such as your Social Security or driver’s license number, after someone calls you unexpectedly on the phone.
- Pay extra to speed up the delivery of a card.
If you receive an unexpected call from someone who claims to be from the Ohio BMV or a deputy registrar’s office, proceed with caution. The real BMV or deputy registrar’s office typically will not call you to ask for personal information. You also shouldn’t need to pay using a wire transfer, money order, or gift card, which are preferred payment methods for scam artists.
When in doubt, hang up and call the legitimate phone number of the office that is supposedly calling you. The Ohio BMV can be reached toll free at 844-644-6268, and you can find a list of the deputy registrar offices in your county
on the BMV’s website.
For more information about the new process for obtaining Ohio driver’s licenses and identification cards, visit
www.bmv.ohio.gov.