HANOVER, MD – Secretary John D. Porcari announced today that Governor Martin O’Malley has directed the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) to create a state driver’s license that fully complies with the REAL ID regulations released last Friday by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.  The REAL ID compliant license in Maryland will require an individual to provide proof of lawful presence in the United States, as legislatively required by Congress under the REAL ID Act.

“Maryland cannot be an island among surrounding states,” said Secretary Porcari referring to the fact that existing Maryland law does not require proof of lawful presence in the U.S.  “This step is necessary to protect the integrity of the state’s primary form of identification and combat the use of fraudulent identification.  It also will ensure that our citizens hold a form of identification fully recognized by the federal government allowing them to freely board an airplane, enter a federal facility or use for other federal purposes.”

The Maryland Department of Transportation is currently evaluating nearly 300 pages of federal guidelines from the Department of Homeland Security that will govern the REAL ID program.  Utilizing those guidelines, MDOT will develop the processes and procedures necessary to develop what is known as a one-tier system that will produce a REAL ID compliant license or identification card.  The REAL ID process will be phased in over the next several years.  In order to comply with REAL ID, as of January 1, 2010, new drivers or Maryland drivers seeking a license renewal must provide proof of lawful presence in the U.S.  All state licenses must be REAL ID compliant as of December 1, 2017.