HARRISBURG, Pa. — The next time Pennsylvania drivers renew their licenses, they'll probably notice a few differences.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation announced Monday that it is updating the design of Pa. driver's licenses and identification cards. The update will include new security enhancements as well, the agency said.
“The update is an important component of PennDOT’s ongoing work to enhance and protect the integrity of the driver's license and identification card issuance process,” PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian said.
The new security features will improve fraud prevention and protect against counterfeiting and alteration, PennDOT said.
Those features include:
- Guilloche Security Design, a feature that includes sophisticated techniques to embed a variety of customized security patterning into the credential, using non-commercial software developed specifically for high-security documents (banknotes, passports, ID cards, etc);
- Optically Variable Ghost Portrait and Variable Data with UV, features that change their appearance when the viewing angle of the card changes, which moves them from fully visible to non-visible. The card also includes an ultraviolet (UV) response that fluoresces under UV lighting. The UV response is fixed – visible under UV light regardless of viewing angle;
- Dynamic Look Through Element (DLTE), a dynamic feature with gold metallic tint that is visible under direct lighting.
The updated licenses will be phased in over the next four-year renewal cycle. So there will be some new licenses mixed in with the current models during the transition period.
That means drivers won't have to run out and get a new license, PennDOT said. They'll simply get an updated license the next time it comes up for renewal.
All PennDOT Driver and Photo centers will transition to the new products by mid-November of this year.
The new design and security features will be part of both standard and REAL ID-compliant PennDOT products.
REAL ID, the federal law that affects how states issue driver's licenses and ID cards if they are going to be acceptable for federal purposes, goes into effect on May 3, 2023.
At that time, Pennsylvanians will need a REAL ID-compliant license/identification card, or another form of federally-acceptable identification (such as a valid passport or military ID) to board a domestic commercial flight, enter a military installation, or enter a federal facility that requires ID at the door.
REAL ID is optional in Pennsylvania, and customers are able to opt into REAL ID.
To learn more about REAL ID, go here.
