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Security driver’s licenses on the way

By Jim Planck

CATSKILL — New York will become only the second state in the nation to begin offering the newest in enhanced security driver’s licenses, which feature a radio frequency identification tag.

The new format is an outgrowth of tighter post-9/11 travel regulations, and the licenses can actually be used for land and sea border crossings at the U.S. border in place of a passport, a significant cost savings notes Greene County Clerk Michael Flynn.

“The EDL (Enhanced Drivers License),” said Flynn, “allows people to carry a single, secure document that meets their driving, identity, and land and sea border crossing needs.”

The sea border crossings essentially refers to Bermuda and the Caribbean, with the land crossings, of course, being Mexico and Canada.

Flynn said that for in-country domestic air travel, the EDL also complies with current federal regulations.

He said that all license classes, including commercial and motorcycle, can be converted to an EDL.

Of especial significance is that the frequency ID’d licenses will meet next year’s Department of Homeland Security’s requirements for re-entering the U.S. from Caribbean, Mexican, and Canadian destinations under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, which takes effect on June 1, 2009.

“The new federal mandate for border crossing requires a passport or other federally recognized documents such as an EDL,” explained Flynn.

The EDL’s radio frequency technology will allow border officers using data bases in secure areas to access information on a traveler quickly without interfering with traffic flow at the crossing.

Price-wise, it is an extra $30 on top of the basic driver’s license fee of $50, but still less than the $100-plus cost for a U.S. passport. It is also available as a non-driver photo ID.

Like the regular driver’s license, it is valid for eight years, and is also the same size for ease of carrying.

Flynn said it takes about two or three weeks to get one, as all licenses are produced in Albany and mailed to drivers.

In order to apply, applicants will need to bring several document proofs to DMV in Catskill, including a birth certificate or other proof of citizenship, two proofs of New York residency, such as property tax bills, utility bills, or credit card statements, their current driver’s license if they have one, and their Social Security card.

For more information on obtaining New York’s new state-of-the-art driver’s license, visit the Greene County Department of Motor Vehicles, Greene County Office Bldg., 411 Main Street, Catskill, or call (518) 719-3280.

To reach reporter Jim Planck, call 518-943-2100, ext. 3324, or e-mail jplanck@thedailymail.net.

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