HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) – By the end of 2014, federal security authorities like the TSA at airports or guards at federally secured buildings will look for a new type of identification. It’s a driver’s license called the STAR ID and most of you are going to need one.
STAR stands for “Secure, Trusted, And Reliable.” According to the Alabama Department of Public Safety’s web site, it’s part of a nationwide effort to improve the integrity and security of state-issued driver licenses and identification cards, which, in turn, will help fight terrorism and reduce fraud. It came as a result of Congress passing the REAL-ID Act of 2005.
To fly in the domestic U.S. you must have either a STAR ID or a government-issued passport as of December 1, 2014. This is for anyone born after December 1, 1964. People born before that date will have until December 1, 2017 to secure their new STAR I.D.
How do you get a STAR ID? Even though it will replace your driver’s license once you get one, it’s not as simple as renewing it at your county courthouse. It’s a brand new license, so you’ll have to visit the driver’s license office in your county. In Huntsville, it’s at the Alabama Department of Public Safety, located at 716 Arcadia Circle NW. Check this list for office locations in each Alabama county.
To obtain a new STAR license, you must present the following forms:
ONE of the following, to verify identity and date of birth:
-Valid, unexpired U.S. passport
-Original or certified copy of birth certificate
-Consular Report of Birth Abroad
-Certificate of Naturalization issued by Department of Homeland Security
-Certificate of Citizenship issued by DHS
For cases where the current name and the name on the primary identity document are different, you should also bring:
-Court ordered name change document
-Marriage certificate, issued by the courts and/or
-Divorce decree, issued by the courts
For Non-Citizens:
-Valid, unexpired Permanent Resident Card – I-551 for Lawful Permanent Residents
-Valid Passport for non-immigrants except for asylum applicants and refugees
-Other government issued document showing your full name
-Department of Homeland Security document showing proof of lawful presence
-If your name has changed by marriage/divorce, you must have your name changed on your Citizen and Immigration Services (CIS) documents.
Both Citizens and Non-Citizens will need to bring:
-Your Social Security Card or proof of your Social Security Number
-Two documents that show your principal residence
See this document list for more detailed information.
What’s the goal of the STAR ID?
The new identification is intended to improve security in airports and other federally secured locations.
“When you board an airplane, you can know that everybody is on that plane that should be on that plane, or if you’re entering a federal building you can know that everybody’s there that should be there,” said Alabama State Trooper Curtis Summerville.
The Alabama Department of Public Safety admits they’ve still got work to do making sure everyone who wants the ID gets one.
“We’re going to work on that certainly from our standpoint to make sure people know that you can get that STAR ID,” said Trooper Summerville.
If you don’t have the STAR ID and you miss the December 1, 2014 deadline, you can bring all the documentation with you to the airport. However, the STAR ID will make things easier for you, Trooper Summerville said.