A new driver’s license and Massachusetts ID design with updated security features was introduced Tuesday by the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles.
With these security improvements, Massachusetts will have one of the most technologically advanced and secure cards in the country, according to a statement from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. They will be phased in over the next five years. Residents do not need to take any action; they will receive new cards upon the expiration of their current ones.
“In an effort to continue to modernize our services and maintain the integrity of the Commonwealth’s most important identification documents, the Registry of Motor Vehicles designed a card with a new advanced look which offers residents the best protection possible,” Registrar Erin Deveney said in the statement.
New security features include raised lettering of the cardholder’s initials and year of birth, as well as laser perforation and engraving. There are other new features, but they will not be publicized so they cannot be copied by groups that produce fake IDs, according to the RMV.
The new design will feature symbols that are important in state history: the State House golden dome, the Civil War memorial to the Massachusetts 54th Regiment, the state’s official bird (chickadee), and official flower (mayflower).
The new design is a step toward REAL ID compliance — measures for security in driver’s licenses and ID cards mandated by federal law. Americans will need REAL ID cards by 2020 to board planes or enter federal buildings, but the RMV estimates it will begin issuing fully compliant cards by fall 2017.
One REAL ID security feature included in the new design is a second barcode on the reverse side containing the same demographic information as the front side. Future cards will have the holder’s full legal name and, when relevant, their legal presence information and expiration date.
Residents who ned to renew their license or ID can do so online, at participating AAA locations or at an RMV service location.