NM simplifies rules for driver authorization cards

Applicants will not need to provide Social Security card

SANTA FE — The state Motor Vehicle Division is making it easier for New Mexicans who want a driving authorization card — not a license issued under the U.S. Real ID Act — to obtain one.

The division issued new rules Friday as part of a settlement agreement that resolved a class-action lawsuit filed by a coalition of community groups representing immigrants, people who are homeless and others.

“These regulatory revisions create greater access to a credential for New Mexico residents who do not want or need a REAL ID,” said John Monforte, acting secretary of the Taxation and Revenue Department.

Under a 2016 law, New Mexico has a two-tiered system for drivers’ licenses — one that complies with the Real ID Act and a less-stringent option for people don’t need or want the federal ID.

The second option is particularly important, supporters say, for homeless people, the elderly and immigrants who want to drive legally but don’t have easy access to the extensive documents required for the Real ID Act.

The driving authorization card, however, isn’t intended for federal purposes. Starting in October 2020, for example, it won’t be good for boarding an airplane.

A lawsuit filed earlier this year accused New Mexico of illegally deny-

ing the authorization cards to people who had the proper documents. Former Santa Fe Mayor David Coss was among the plaintiffs.

Marcela Díaz, executive director of Somos Un Pueblo Unido, which was part of the lawsuit, said the new rules are a good step.

“A driver’s license is a critical tool New Mexicans use to navigate our everyday life,” Díaz said in a written statement. “The new rules are an important step forward to ensuring citizens and non-citizens alike have a more efficient process to obtaining a non-REAL ID driver’s license as legislators originally intended.”

The changes announced Friday mean:

Applicants don’t have to provide a Social Security card.

One document, not two, can now be used to prove identity and age, as long as it contains name and date of birth.

The MVD will accept a broader list of documents as proof of identity, age and residency.

Homeless applicants must provide only one document to prove residency.