Your new driver’s license is a slip of paper
Have you renewed your Oregon driver’s license or ID card lately? Well, if you have, you know how much of a pain it is to identify yourself with the crappy slip of paper they give you. Oregon DMV has adopted a new process for insuring against identity theft. They take your photo when you apply for the card, then take 10 days to verify it is you and then issue you the card….in the mail no less. So, during that time, you get a nifty piece of paper that says you are you, but no business will accept.
From DMV:
Will businesses accept the interim driver license, driver permit, or identification card as identification for cashing checks, buying liquor, etc.?
It will be up to those businesses as to whether or not they will accept the interim card as identification. While you carry the interim card, you should carry additional proof of identification in case a business requests further ID. DMV has informed businesses that use ID cards of the coming changes.Will Social Security, Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and other government agencies accept the Interim license as identification?
It will be up to government agencies as to whether or not they will accept the interim card as identification. While you carry the interim card, you should carry additional proof of identification in case a government agency or airport security requests further ID. DMV has informed government agencies that use ID cards of the coming changes.Will other states/countries recognize the interim driver license, driver permit, or identification card as valid identification?
It will be up to other states and countries as to whether or not they will accept the interim card as identification.
“It will be up to the [insert whomever here} as to whether or not they will accept the interim card as identification” How much crap is that? I was in a bar recently when this discussion came up. I am 37 and get carded all the time. The bartender flat out stated that they do not accept the temporary slip of paper as proper identification. It would be too easily forged. And who is going to be tougher on a bar - OLCC or DMV? I would venture to say that businesses would rather turn away customers than try and fight the OLCC. Oh, and the federal government? Oregon says this slip of paper is me. Do you really thing TSA will accept that?
I’m also disappointed that they are going to mail the new ID to you. In the FAQ, it even says the mail will come with a return address of DMV, Salem Oregon. Hmmm. “I wonder what is in here,” the ID thief says as he’s rifling through your mail. Who dreamed this one up?
In the end, DMV says if you have issues with this new policy, contact your local and state representatives. They passed the laws and DMV is only enforcing them. I would think they could have found a more efficient method for this madness. Note to self. Begin carrying around the passport to insure I am who I think I am.
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I am getting my motorcycle endorsement and I am really annoyed i can’t get my actual i.d. right then and there like I always have. But then again what do you expect from a place that has given hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens drivers licenses and given them the ability to vote. Got to love them.
My boyfriend recently got his OR driver’s license and when the real version arrived in the mail, the envelope had already been opened(driver’s license still enclosed). When he called the DMV they were extremely unhelpful and their basic response was that he should call the postal service.
The mailing portion does seem really dumb - but the temp slip is only going to affect someone if they wait until the very last day possible to renew their license and the old one expires before the new one shows up.
Of course I always the thought Oregon’s policy of mailing you a sticker to add to your license when you changed addresses seemed weird too.
divebarwife, thanks for the comment. DMV actually takes your old license away when you renew. They have always done that to prevent id theft or proliferation of fake ids. Once you renew, the only “proof” you end up with is the piece of paper.
Also, in Oregon, it isn’t wise to renew a few months prior to expiration. For example: If your license is up for renewal in December and you lose it in October, you must renew it, but that license will still expire in December. There is a window, like 45 days from expiration, where you can renew the license. Any time before that and it is an extra expense.
Find that passport and put it in your pocket I guess.
Ah ha! Ok - then that is a really really dumb!
This sounds like a money saving action that could cut down on fraud as well. So I think this is a good idea in the long run if it saves money. Have you looked into the legislature to see why they did this?
Passports are good sub ID when you are without state ID. Not always the case though,I recall 10 years ago, my then girlfriend tried to use her passport to get into a beer garden in Portland. Hard to believe but the security at the front gate said US Passports were not valid ID.
I can see a sad situation where CitizenPDX gets ticket to 21+ show… license expires.. gets paper slip.. no passport… and they don’t get to see show.
Chris,
I actually remember not being allowed to buy beer at Plaid because according to OLCC rules, only a valid Oregon ID can be used as the initial form of ID. No Oregon ID, no drinky. That was a few years ago, so that rule may have changed. I’m investigating.
Anyone out there recently take the OLCC server course?
This just further justifies my long held belief that there should be a position in government called “Guy With A Stick.” Their sole job is to sit in on meetings and hearings and when they hear an official or perchance see a bureaucrat doing something stupid, GuyWithAStick hits them over the head until they stop doing said stupid thing.
Great post.
This actually happened to me last week. I went to get a new license as my current one was cracking. When they handed me the slip of paper, I thought it was a joke. The McMenamins I went to the next day for a business lunch thought so too, and made me sit in a different section. Awesome. Though I can hardly blame them for not accepting something that looks like you made it with an inkjet and 10 minutes of Photoshop.
My new ID(which seems even flimsier plastic than the last) came in the mail about 6 days later. Luckily I have a locked mailbox. But I can’t say I’m impressed with the new system.
Will make sure my passport is up to date next time I have to mess with my ODL, that way I have a backup.
Dieselboi - The OLCC rules state that you must accept a valid state driver’s license, but it need not be from Oregon. State ID cards, military IDs, and passports are also acceptable. Not sure if the rule has changed, but as long as I’ve had a server’s permit (8 years) those have been the rules.