DMV starts issuing Real ID drivers' licenses

Nevada's Department of Motor Vehicles will begin issuing the new Advanced Secure Issuance drivers' licenses on Monday in Carson City.

Director Edgar Roberts said the new license meets federal identification standards under the Real ID Act and is marked with a gold star indicating compliance.

"This will not have any immediate impact on most Nevadans," said Roberts. "The federal government will continue to accept Nevada licenses and ID cards because we are in compliance with the Real ID Act."

The documents needed to prove identity for the new licenses are the same documents already required for first-time licensees and new residents. Those include such things as birth certificates or passports. In addition, women who changed their name when they married will have to provide a court record establishing that their identity matches the name on their birth certificate.

Roberts said the only additional information required is a utility or phone bill proving Nevada residency.

He said Nevada escaped some of the problems other states have had because it has required proof of identity for years.

He emphasized that the license does not contain a computer identity chip and that there is no national database of driver information. He said the emergency regulations signed by Gov. Jim Gibbons specifically prohibit including any technology in the licenses enabling the government to track individuals.