Waiting for a Real ID

My girlfriend has been trying to get her driver's license renewed with the Real ID process for several weeks. The first time she went to the DMV they told her that her birth certificate was unacceptable because it was mutilated. That's the word they use if there is any tape or tears on the document. Plus, it needed to have a raised stamp. We went home and she called the county office in Texas where she was born. In order to get a new copy of her birth certificate, she had to complete a form and have it notarized. We then scanned the form and emailed it to Texas. Once they confirmed receipt, she paid the processing fee with a debit card over the phone.

About a week later a new copy of her birth certificate arrived in the mail. Back to the DMV we went to try again. I should also mention that the line wait at our DMV is about 30 to 40 minutes, and you want to avoid Monday's and Friday's because the wait is twice as long. This time we went on a Tuesday. After waiting in line for half an hour, they told her that she needed to have a copy of her divorce paperwork with a raised stamp. She completed her divorce paperwork in Wisconsin and they never gave her a copy with a raised stamp. By this time her driver's license had expired, so she decided to get a regular license instead of wasting more time waiting for another copy of her divorce documents. She travels out of state to visit her family every year, so she still needs to get either a passport book, a passport card, or a real ID before October 1, 2020.

 A Passport book is needed if you plan on flying to or from another country. A Passport card can be used for flights within the US and travel by boat or car to Mexico or Canada. A Real ID can be used for domestic air travel, but cannot be used as a border crossing document. The fee for a Passport book is $145, the fee for a Passport card is $65. They are both good for ten years. The cost of converting a regular driver's license into a Real ID is not very clear and will vary from State to State. The cost of getting a duplicate license in Minnesota is $17. Since a Passport card only requires a valid ID and a birth certificate that's the option we may try next. But first, we need to wait for her regular driver's license to arrive, which may take up to 6 weeks. Check with your local DMV or Passport office to see what the rules and fees are in your area.