How does REAL ID work? How will DMV employees decide who is a citizen and who is a qualifying immigrant?
REAL ID requires states to determine an applicant’s citizenship and immigration status before issuing a new or renewal license. Different categories of licenses must be issued depending on whether an applicant is a citizen or non-citizen. Only citizens and a few categories of noncitizens (such as legal permanent residents, i.e., those with “green cards”) and a few others are entitled to a full-fledged, first-class license. Other non-citizens who are legally entitled to be in the United States, but who do not fit within the preferred category, are eligible only for a temporary “tier-two” license that is clearly labeled as a temporary license and has a prominent expiration date. If states decide to issue driver’s licenses to non-citizens who do not fit within either category, then the state must issue them a tier-three license. This license must be clearly marked to distinguish it from the tier-one and tier-two, and it must be specifically labeled as “not valid for federal identification
