The Department of Licensing is updating its proof of residence policy in an effort aimed at reducing the numbers of individuals that fraudulently receive a Washington driver license.
State law requires individuals to have a valid Washington residence address to obtain a Washington driver license or ID card.
The agency will require proof of a Washington residence address if an applicant does not provide a verified Social Security number at a driver licensing office. The documents provided will be copied and later verified by agency staff to ensure that they are valid. After that validation, a permanent license will be issued.
The change is effective Monday, Nov. 8.
“This is another in a series of steps we’ve taken to clamp down on license fraud and ensure that people are Washington residents if they’re getting a license,” said DOL director Liz Luce.
A full list of document requirements to prove residence address is available at the agency’s website. They include: rental or lease agreements, bank-issued documents showing residence address and name or specific auto insurance policy information.
Last month, the agency implemented expanded use of facial recognition technology, developed with the Enhanced Driver License program, to safeguard regular driver licenses and ID cards. Design changes have also been made to the driver license — by shifting the picture to the left side, placing an identical but smaller, shaded photo on the right and adding other security measures, licenses and ID cards will be more difficult to fake.
