Pennsylvania rolls out new driver’s licenses
PennDOT announced a new driver鈥檚 license that features updated security measures, including a ghost portrait and gold metallic tint. The features will roll out on new cards beginning mid-November, and both old and updated IDs will circulate during the four-year phase in. (Photo courtesy of PennDOT)
Courtesy of PennDOT
PennDOT announced a new driver鈥檚 license that features updated security measures, including a ghost portrait and gold metallic tint. The features will roll out on new cards beginning mid-November, and both old and updated IDs will circulate during the four-year phase in.
news@greenecountymessenger.com
Pennsylvania鈥檚 driver鈥檚 licenses are getting a makeover.
The state Department of Transportation recently announced the launch of a new driver鈥檚 license design with updated security features, including ghost portraits and a gold metallic tint.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a standard procedure that we do every handful of years to make sure we鈥檙e preventing fraud,鈥� said Diego Sandino, press officer, driver and vehicles services at PennDOT. 鈥淪afety is one of our main focuses. It鈥檚 an important component of what we do. With these new enhancements, the point is to protect the integrity of the driver or ID holder 鈥� so no one is able to take their information.鈥�
In 2011, Pennsylvania became the first state to implement a black-and-white hologram security feature on photo IDs. The state is again leading the nation in ID security with added layers of protection that make it difficult to counterfeit, alter or otherwise copy a driver鈥檚 license or photo ID.
Updated security features will appear on state IDs, driver鈥檚 licenses, and REAL IDs, Sandino said, and while the protective features are state-of-the-art, the new design isn鈥檛 a major shift from cards drivers are used to.
The biggest change is a color scheme combination 鈥� the new cards sport slightly warmer hues 鈥� and the ghost portrait feature.
鈥淟ookwise, it鈥檚 different, but it鈥檚 not super different. We talk about having the ghost portrait. That鈥檚 probably one of the biggest things, visually, that customers will see,鈥� Sandino said.
The smaller portrait, in the bottom left-hand corner of the card, changes from visible to invisible, depending on the angle of the driver鈥檚 license or ID. When held under UV light, ghost portraits are visible no matter the angle.
A gold metallic tint glistens under direct light, another of PennDOT鈥檚 new security measures called a dynamic look through element.
One security feature not visible is the Guilloche design, patterns embedded in the driver鈥檚 license or photo ID. Guilloche designs are also used to protect other high-security documents, including passports and bank notes.
The latest security measures are part of PennDOT鈥檚 continued commitment to decreasing fraud, counterfeiting and ID alteration. But there鈥檚 no need to rush to the DMV for a new license; the cards are being phased in over a four-year photo ID cycle, beginning in mid-November.
The newer, more secure cards will be issued during normal renewal times, or when someone receives their first driver鈥檚 license, state or REAL ID.
PennDOT estimates it will replace nearly 10.3 million driver鈥檚 licenses and ID cards during the four-year phase-in.
While people have driver鈥檚 licenses on the mind, Sandino said it鈥檚 the perfect time to apply for a REAL ID, if you haven鈥檛 yet.
鈥淭he deadline is May 3, 2023,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e still urge folks to take the time right now鈥� and apply for REAL IDs.
Starting in May 2023, Pennsylvanians will need a REAL ID or other federally-accepted form of identification, like a passport or birth certificate, to enter most federal buildings, or to pass through airport security.