Digital Drivers License
Beginning in June 2007, the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles will begin providing Hoosiers with a new driver license and identification card that will help battle identify theft, card tampering and detection of underage drinking through use of innovative technology.
The new design features a number of embedded digital enhancements to ensure authenticity, some detectable only with a black light, and a barcode on the back with embedded secure data.
Perhaps the most visible change is a vertical format for Hoosiers under 21 years of age, with the dates the recipient turns age 18 and 21 highlighted in color. Images show above include an adult operator license and an operator license for an individual under the age of 18. State identification cards will include all the same security features as the driver licenses.
Driver License Features
Click on each topic below for more information...
| Adult driver license
Advanced security features include: Click on each link above to view a larger image. The portrait and signature are both digital and stored in a permanent database for easy retrieval in order to verify identification. In addition to the primary portrait, a ghost portrait is now included as further verification of authenticity. |
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| Minor driver license New vertical orientation for quick verification of age. Advanced security features include: Click on each link above to view a larger image. The portrait and signature are both digital and stored in a permanent database for easy retrieval in order to verify identification. In addition to the primary portrait, a ghost portrait is now included as further verification of authenticity. | |
| Format indicator
The color of the map icon on each card designates the type of identification document that it represents. | |
| License material
Constructed from a robust and highly durable and secure composite material, Indiana's new driver licenses and identification cards are valid for a six-year period from date of issuance starting in 2009. Each card is laminated with a tamper resistant coating and contains an optically variable pattern with the word "Indiana" and the state bird, a cardinal, scattered over the surface. | |
| Other features
The back of the card describes the endorsements and restrictions as applicable. A two-dimensional barcode on the back contains demographic data from the front of the card making duplication of the document more difficult. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Click on each question for more information about Indiana's new digital driver license.
- What is new about the Indiana driver license?
- Vertical format for Under 21
- Printed Variable Data, only detectable with a black light
- IDMarc, a security feature only detectable by a validation device offered by Indiana's vendor
- UV Ghost Portrait
- 2D Barcode on back
- Why is Indiana enhancing the security of its driver licenses and ID cards?
The security of driver licenses and personal identification credentials play an important role in addressing issues such as the increasing problem of identity theft and fraud, underage drinking and driving and the related impact on roadway safety, and even homeland security.
By upgrading the security of Indiana's driver license and personal identification card, the state can help protect citizen identity and personal safety, and provide retailers and law enforcement with new tools for verifying the authenticity of driver licenses and IDs presented as proof of identity and fighting driver license counterfeiting and fraud. - What is a digital watermark and why is Indiana incorporating it into their driver license?
With more than 240 valid driver license designs for the millions of licenses circulating in the U.S., visual inspection is not adequate to determine the authenticity of these credentials. Digital watermarking is a proven, readily available security feature found in more than 50 million circulating U.S. driver licenses and is designed to help prevent driver license counterfeiting, alteration and photo swapping. As an imperceptible, machine-readable feature, digital watermarking takes the guesswork out of inspection and provides reliable authentication of driver licenses and IDs using commonly available scanners with special software.
- Why is the color strip across the top of the new driver license pink?
The color is dusty rose and was chosen by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) as a common color for standard operator driver licenses across the country. Eight U.S. states and territories use this color code. One advantage is its difficulty to duplicate. The color strip across the top of an ID card is green for the same reason.
- When will the first new DL/ID be issued?
The new DL/ID will be piloted in six branches starting with Pine Valley license branch in Ft. Wayne on June 8 and in branches in Greenfield, Anderson, Connersville, Liberty, and at the Pine Valley Reinstatement Center on June 12. It will be rolled out in all other branches and counties throughout the summer with planned completion by mid-August. A county-by-county rollout schedule can be provided upon request.
- What is the validity period of this new driver license?
Constructed from a robust and highly durable material, each card is laminated with a tamper resistant coating that increases the card's durability and security for the varying validity periods for Indiana's credentials, up to six years. Starting in 2009, per current Indiana law, the regular adult operator's license is valid for a six-year period from date of issuance. Validity periods for those issued in 2007 and 2008 will likely be five years and four years respectively to better enable Indiana to meet federal Real ID requirements.
- Will it cost more to produce the new driver licenses and ID cards?
No, it will cost less to produce the new DL/ID. The production cost for the current DL/ID is $1.27 per card. The cost to produce the new DL/ID is 99 cents, resulting in a total cost savings of $2.5 million during the six-year contract period. The cost of the vendor's equipment, installation, operations and training is included in the per card cost.
- How much will it cost to get a new driver license or ID card?
The cost of the new DL/ID will remain the same for Hoosier motorists, as set forth in legislation.
- Is there anything else new about the driver license issuance system?
Indiana's new driver license issuance system includes a number of innovations in driver license security and system architecture.
The system is also designed to meet the requirements of the state's new driver license format, and replaces the previous DL/ID system. Some of the new components of our system include:
- More than 200 workstations and camera towers (compared to 165 today) to process driver license applications more quickly, capture signatures, and take the industry's highest quality portraits of applicants
- Over-the-counter secure printing systems allowing State operators to securely and easily issue driver licenses at BMV offices across the State
- Vertical format for motorists under age 18/21 and horizontal format for motorists age 21 and over
- More than 200 workstations and camera towers (compared to 165 today) to process driver license applications more quickly, capture signatures, and take the industry's highest quality portraits of applicants
- Will these changes help Indiana comply with the federal REAL ID Act?
Indiana, like many other states, is already enhancing the security and efficiency of our processes as well as the security and quality of state-issued identity credentials. Indiana's latest enhancements will help our state prepare for the still-to-be-finalized security requirements of the federal REAL ID Act.
- What is the REAL ID Act?
The federal REAL ID Act establishes minimum, nationwide standards for driver licenses and other state-issued IDs. As outlined in proposed federal regulations, states have five years to comply to assure a state's credentials are acceptable for federal identification purposes, such as to board an airplane or enter a federal building. The law establishes physical security requirements for the cards, such as making them machine-readable; it sets requirements for proving one's identity at the time of application or renewal; and it requires states to verify certain information about applicants.
Details of these standards are in the process of being established by federal rule-making from the Department of Homeland Security and are expected to be finalized later this year.
- Will citizens see any changes in the process to apply for a new driver license?
The current process for applying for a state DL/ID is still in place. By installing extra systems in high volume offices, and developing better system redundancy to keep branch offices operational in the event of a system failure, our goal is to provide the highest possible service levels for citizens. The current system takes three minutes to print a DL. The new system will produce a DL in 45 seconds.
- Who is the vendor providing this new system?
Digimarc Corporation is the supplier of secure driver license solutions in 31 states, including Indiana, and four provinces in Canada. Headquartered in Oregon with more than 400 employees around the world, Digimarc also maintains significant operations in Fort Wayne, Indiana (with more than 60 employees). Digimarc's Indiana-based operation is home to the company's manufacturing and supply chain center of excellence and is a primary development and customer support center. The company and its predecessor companies have been serving the Indiana BMV since 1982.
- How long will my old license be valid and can I get a new card now?
Previously-issued Indiana driver licenses and identification cards will remain valid until their expiration date. The new driver license system will be introduced at the Indiana BMV License Branch in Pine Valley, Ft. Wayne, IN on June 8. Four additional locations will issue the new license on June 12 (Anderson, Connersville, Greenfield, and Liberty). All remaining license branches should be installed by August 2007. A full schedule of installments will be posted on the BMV Web site in early June. Customers may renew a driver license up to six months prior to the expiration date of their existing license.
- When was the last time Indiana updated its driver license?
Indiana's last update of its driver license was in 1999, when it implemented its first generation of digital technology. Among other things, it provided a digital photographic image that could be stored, along with other security enhancements based on the technology of the day.
- How many driver licenses and ID cards are issued in Indiana?
There are approximately 4.2 million licensed drivers and 728,298 holders of a valid ID card in the state of Indiana. Holders of both a valid driver license and ID card total 263,543. In the past 12 months, about 1.5 million driver licenses were issued or renewed. About 264,000 ID cards were issued during the same time period.
In June of 2007, the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles will begin issuing new driver licenses (DL) and state identification cards (ID). These identity documents will include many of the most advanced and innovative ID security features available to fight counterfeiting, photo swapping and tampering (for example, attempts to replace the photo or data, such as date of birth, on the license through digital or manual alteration). These security features include:
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