The next time you renew your Oregon driver license or identification card you may see a new design with new security features. DMV is rolling out a new card design starting this winter and early 2019.
The beauty of the new cards isn’t just skin deep. The enhanced colorful look is part of the new card’s advanced security features, making it harder to alter or duplicate.
Your current driver license or ID card will remain valid until its expiration date, so you do not need to replace your card before that date. You also do not need to replace your card when you move within Oregon – you can file your new address online at OregonDMV.com.
This is the first major upgrade to the card technology in Oregon since 2003. In addition to the new look and security features, the new card will provide a vertical layout for provisional driver license holders – drivers younger than 21 years old. This will make it easier to identify minors where age restrictions apply, such as the purchase of alcohol.
The new card will hold the same information as the current card, including name, address, issuance date and expiration date, as well as a small duplicate “ghost” image of the person’s photo. Driver license and ID card fees will remain the same with the new card.
New features
Among the new security features:
- The card body is a durable plastic material made of a polycarbonate blend.
- Customer information is laser-etched in clear, highly defined lines.
- The colors are printed in tiny patterns that are difficult to see without magnification and difficult to duplicate.
- The clear laminate covering the card front shows a hologram of Oregon symbols at certain angles and light conditions.
DMV will begin to test and install the new card system in two Salem-area field offices starting the week of Dec. 17. After making sure the new process is working properly, DMV will begin to install it in the rest of its 60 field offices during the first half of 2019.
Real ID option in 2020
As a reminder, this new card design is not yet available as a Real ID Act-compliant card. Oregon will begin to offer an optional Real ID-compliant card in July 2020. Until that time, Oregon driver licenses and ID cards will continue to be accepted as identification at secure federal locations and for boarding commercial aircraft. For more information about Oregon and Real ID, click here.
More information
Any time you need to visit a DMV office, first check www.OregonDMV.com to find office hours and locations, and to make sure you have everything you need before your visit. You also can do some DMV business from home at OregonDMV.com. You can renew your vehicle registration, file a change of address or file notice of the sale of your vehicle online without getting in line at an office.
