| The new federal Real ID card is being rolled out in the Mountain State.
On Jan. 3, 2011, renewing your West Virginia driver's license or if you need to get a new one could get complicated.
If you don't have your original Social Security card, a wage and tax statement with your Social Security number on it, or a Social Security Administration Form 1099.
That's for starters.
In WV, at least for now, the cost of an adult drivers card stays the same ($13), while the actual transition cost has been estimated near $100, being absorbed by Taxpayers.
"Real ID means when you come in to get your driver's license renewed or for a new issue, you must satisfy three requirements," said state Division of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Joe Miller.
"One is proof of identification - a birth certificate, a valid U.S. passport, or, of foreign-born, unexpired Homeland Security documents."
"The second is proof of your Social Security number," he said.
"The third is you have to prove you are a resident of the state," with two proofs of West Virginia residency with address and name will be required.
"That can be a utility bill, a tax record, mortgage documents, a W-2 form, a valid DMV registration card with the correct address on it, a voter's registration card, a homestead exemption tax form, proof of West Virginia public assistance, or a rental or lease document."
It currently takes about two weeks to get a Social Security card replaced.
The Real ID Act, passed by Congress in 2005, links DMV'S to a national data base. A large amount of data can be stored on the card.
People without cards will likely find it difficult to function.
The Real ID has raised concern among some advocacy groups over privacy.
The card is based on preventing terrorism, but some terrorist experts question its value. Opponents claim the card can be scanned from a distance, tracking the holder of a card.
Most state governments have opposed the card.
Without a Real ID card, you will no longer be able to board airplanes, open bank accounts, enter federal facilities, or apply for any federal benefits, including Social Security.
The Department of Homeland Security is in charge of the Real ID card.
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