I was just talking to my neighbor, she's been marriage a bunch of times...her answer was "%&*# IT! I'll just use a regular DL". HA! She said she burned her old marriage licenses!

I found myself jealous of MEN because they don't have to have all that. Their names stay the same no matter how many times they've been married...HA!

Arkansas girl, that's easily fixed - only get married once & for life

It's kinda hard to go back in time. Edit to add that this also applies if you are a widow. You would have to have the marriage license from the first marriage if the husband died and you remarried. Also, Raye, NOT HELPFUL! I wouldn't wish a divorce on my worst enemy!

Yes! My birthday is in September and my driver’s license was expiring. I had planned on getting the RealID/drivers license which was just rolled out this year. Because of COVID-19 the rollout was delayed and appointments were required. I went online one morning in early September and was surprised to get an appointment for that afternoon. The receptionist and the employee who did the data entry and photograph both told me that it was my lucky day because there was a cancellation and I was just lucky to get online and grab it. They were making appointments one week out and they were snapped up as soon as they were posted online.

I have a passport card for any domestic federal ID needs and a passport for any international ID needs, so I didn't bother getting an enhanced DL. At the time, I could renew my regular DL by mail and would have had to visit the DMV for an enhanced DL. What I don't understand is why the DMV won't just accept your passport for an enhanced DL rather than needing all those other documents.

I believe it was yesterday in the thread about unusual names people posted about using names other than their own. Which is fine but I did wonder how many people doing that would slip up on things like marriage licenses and or children's birth certificates.

Fun it may depend on the state if they accept the passport as proof or not. Probably ten years ago this state required all the information for a "real" id but did not issue an enhanced drivers license. Earlier this year it was time to renew so drug out all the documentation. The person saw my passport, asked if it was current, then said let me have it. They did not want to see the rest of the stuff.

Last year I thought I was bringing everything I needed, but i brought the wrong marriage certificate. I was able to go back and pay $8.00 more to get the star when I got the right certificate.

maifleur, the lady at the BMV talked like if I had the passport, then I could get away without having that marriage license. I didn't get into it with her too much, because I do not have one..so it's a moot point.

There’s a checklist for Ohio and the way I interpret it is if you have a passport with your married name you do not need your marriage certificate. I had to get a marriage certificate copy to apply for Medicare recently, so I sent for two anyway.

cit3 and others who have not lost a spouse hold on to that marriage certificate and your certified birth certificate. There may come a time that you may need it again.

I had to renew mine 3 1/2 years ago (near Houston, TX) they sent the renewal letter with the long list of all documents needed but didn't require appointments. I had jury duty over on the side of town of the closest DMV so after not getting selected for a jury we went to the DMV.

They gave me a number and told me to wait to be called, once called, I don't recall her looking at many if any of my documents - I do remember being perturbed I had to bring so much with me for seemingly no reason. lol

My new license has the little star near the top though so it must be the Real ID. Hub had his renewal in May of this year, he was eligible for doing this one online so did so and has a star on his license as well, without any documents necessary. Is Texas just really relaxed about it compared to most other states?

ghostlyvision, it must be more relaxed or Ohio is just being ridiculous! I thought I had everything. Like my neighbor said "I burned my old marriage license". I didn't burn mine but I have no idea where it is, I looked all over. It's just a pain and also I feel it's a burden to government offices right now being swamped with people needing all these unnecessary documents. You know that they already know everything there is to know about you! This is just stupid!

arkansasgirl, I so get you, I was born and raised in Ohio (moved to Tx in '81) so I am familiar with their strict behavior when it comes to anything having to do with driving (Ohio is sooo anal), but yes, with everything being online, there shouldn't be this need for people to have to produce old documents. And if someone was going to try to fake them out, they'd have real-looking documents, so what's the point? They should be able to look anything up they need to verify who a person is.

I'm really sorry for the hassle you're going through.

Well, I can't get a Real ID because one piece of my paper trail is missing from a name change my mother did on me as a child She changed my birth last name to her maiden name at some point. She is since deceased and no papers remain. I can get a passport as the rest of my paper trail is intact and renewed mine this year. I'll have to remember to keep it current as that is no fun to do either. US passport and regular DL will have to do.

Sea Sea do you have any relatives that were alive when your mother made the change? If you do talk to an attorney about what is needed to correct this. It may be as simple as an affidavit from the relatives swearing that you are the same person. Recently I recounted how my mother was supposed to be named Tom which was what her birth certificate stated. She was able to have the birth certificate corrected.

No family. So I'm kind of out of luck. Funny how I can have a passport, but not a real ID. I've had three last names, married once. So birth name, changed name, then married name. I can't supply paperwork or a social security card with mother's maiden name change. I hope this will remain good enough as it's the best I can do. Bites fingernails...

My license was going to expire last March of 2020 and because we would be out of state at that time I went in in October of 2019 and was able to renew and get my EDL. Luckily I had all the correct paperwork and happy I did it before COVID! It has a star on it.

It was a major hassle when we moved from NY to Florida. When we wanted a Florida license we had provide birth certificates, name change, etc. Since we were both elderly, to try to get the marriage licenses from 48 yrs ago, name changes etc. It took us weeks to call various places, mail in checks and hope they still had records of our names, birth and marriage. Hubby was born in Boston, I was born in NYC. We got married in NYC. They don't accept church documents, etc. You have to call the registrars in various States, send checks and hope for the best.

It was a nightmare and took almost three months for us to get a Florida license.

DH and I upgraded to "real ID" drivers licenses last year, I don't remember what all we needed to show. I have no idea of they have a star, enhanced, etc. Even pre-Covid, we don't cross borders very often so it's just as easy to dig out our passport or passport card.

Talking to our 30-something year old neighbor the other day, she said many women are choosing to keep their birth names. Marriages are taking place later in life and once you have your career established, a name change can cost you customers, standing, reputation you've built up. Plus all the little legal hassles, like the subject of this thread.

Some understood what I wrote about keeping the documents. Nickel brings up something that may be poorly understood. If you kept your name rather than used your spouses in the future to collect pensions/SS if they are still around you may need to provide a certified copy of your marriage license. I had to provide for both of those and a birth certificate for one but not the other to prove that I was entitled to the benefits.

Not yet, but we have passports so we really don’t need it. There were huge lines for a while with people trying to get one, then everything was shut down, and now the deadline has been extended. We will eventually get one, but in no rush. Our state has a list of what we need to provide so it’s pretty straightforward.

I'm bringing maifleur03 to the DMV with me next time. After she does a document check first. It gets intimidating quick.

SEA SEA it was intimidating the first job I had where I had to provide proof that I was who I said I was when I was about 19 but it got easier after that.

I live close to Canada and am a frequent visitor (pre-covid). It's so easy to grab my passport, I cannot see any reason to get an enhanced license.

In our state, no legal name change is required to assume a new name...just like when someone starts using a married name with no legal name change requirement, the same thing applies when resuming your maiden name (or any other name you choose). As long as you are not trying or committing fraud, you can use/assume any name you want. However, some federal agencies require a legal name change under some circumstances.

Yes, and it was an enormous hassle with documents, especially the marriage one. I had the divorce document, but not the right marriage one. And because the system wouldn't accept an initial for my middle name (as it reads on my SS card and Medicare card), it uses a version of my name that I have never used in my life (I'm 75) and does not exist on any other document I have ever had. It was simply absurd.

Lol, when I requested the marriage license I actually had to send a check for $2, they couldn’t process a credit card or do it online. I also couldn’t remember what name my husband used! He’s never used his legal name - always a nickname for his middle name. His parents admitted they shouldn’t have named him that even though he was a jr.

I agree with laceyvail, the whole thing is absurd, along with Fatherland (sic) Security, foisted on us by the Bush regime and a complicit Congress.

I had to renew my DL just last month. Went online, printed the form, got an app't at the DMV and a list of the documents that I needed to get the REAL ID version. I do have a current passport so didn't need some of the other documentation like birth certificate, marriage license, etc. It ended up being not quite as much a bother as I initially thought it would be.

I had everything ready to go when everything got locked down. Motor vehicle is now partially reopened, but getting that ID is not on the list of approved reasons to go in person. Since the deadline got extended by a year I will hopefully get it done by then.

Luckily I keep all our important papers in our safe deposit box, so it was easy gather them when needed. DSIL went to get her EDL and needed her marriage license. She was divorced and had gotten rid of him and the license. She was not happy having to track one down.

kathy, I really thought that I had mine too but I looked and looked and couldn't find it anywhere...that made me the maddest....HAHA! I'm a pack rat!

I have had mine for several years. The only issue was the paperwork! They insisted that I bring a current household bill to verify my address. And I was living with SO in his house at the time, and therefore had no bill in my name save a phone bill that still went to my parents house. So I used that I just kept my parents address on my license for a few years until we moved into this house.

amy, I thought these were really new? I didn't realize they'd been going on for several years?

The gold star thing? I got it before it was mandatory. Alabama started the program,sort of as a pilot if you will, in 2011. I had it put on in 2012. I think it only recently became a mandatory thing....

It was enacted around 9-11.

The Real ID Act was 2005. For many states or maybe nation-wide, the effective date of mandatory use has been postponed one or more times.

I don't have one. I'll use my passport when necessary.

It didn’t seem a necessary expense since I already had a passport.

Apparently, I've been living under a rock because I only first heard of it last year...HAHA!

I've got to start work on mine. Its due by the first part of December. During my working career, I've had 3 security clearances, but that won't do. I do have a passport and a certified copy of my birth certificate. (A photocopy of your birth certificate will not be accepted. It must carry the embossed seal mark by the county clerk. This is required to reduce fakes.) I should get a haircut. I haven't been in a barbershop since April 1st and I am 'hairy'. I need to decide if my driver's license photo will be taken with or without glasses. I am qualified to drive without glasses since having cataract operation on both eyes, but I do wear glasses for driving. My focal length is fixed and glasses helps to read the instrument panel. Also, I like the extra eye protection. I'll do the photo with glasses because I wear those all the time.

I can't do a walk-in as in the past. An appointment is required this time. Rats! I hope I don't need to supply the photo as well. I should check on this - Things have changed.

We renewed our passports and paid a few extra dollars for passport cards, so we're good to go for another 10 years. If we're ever able to fly again post Covid. We know where our birth and marriage certificates are. What ever happened to the land of the free and the home of the brave??

Seagrass - there are very few international flights but I flew this summer domestically with no issues. There were plenty of flights to select from. The wearing a mask the whole time was a pain but worth it to get to see friends and have a vacation.

In Ohio, a valid passport is acceptable instead of a birth certificate plus documentation of name changes That is because you would have had to provide the documentation to get the passport. I believe this is the federal requirement, so should be true for all states.

You still need to bring proof of SS#, and 2 proofs of current address. The Ohio BMV website has it all spelled out, with a checklist to use.

Seagrass, hijackings and even worse, 9/11 happened.

It just seems like such overkill and it isn't the same in all states because I've talked to others that live in other states and they didn't have to have all that. I also realized that on my current marriage license, it has proof of what my maiden name is so...that makes me even more annoyed! But, I have gotten all that I need to get the old marriage license (also nice of them to stir up unpleasant/sad memories) I just need to mail it to them tomorrow. I should be legal in no time flat! HA!

arkansas girl I would like to point out a small thing that while it did not apply to you could apply to others. Most marriage licenses ask for the name that you are using. If you have been married before and still use that name it would be what is put on the marriage license.

I just found out that my friend that is in Texas got hers and she did NOT have to have her marriage license at all and only needed to have her birth certificate and SS card. She knew that for sure because they lost their marriage license somewhere and she knows that she does not have it! Her DL has the gold star on it.

EDIT: I just went to the Texas site for requirements and according to that, you need even more documents than we need in Ohio. I guess some customers service agents are more lenient. Allowing people to slide without everything they need?

I am, obviously, in Ohio. I got m EDL last year, in April. I do have a passport, but I took EVERYTHING that was listed, including the registrars copy of our marriage license, NOT the fancy church one, as it instructs us. I had everything in a manila envelope. The lady only looked at a few things, but mainly used the passport. Then was required to have someone else come and verify her work. DON'T assume that a passport alone will be enough. My DH's was refused. And he had to have verification of most everything also. He went the next day to a different office, and they accepted his passport. I asked why it hadn't been accepted at the office I went to, and the explanation was that if anything had been keyed in wrong, they couldn't change it, that it would kick it out of the system for 24 hours. I asked both people who helped me, separately, and got the same answer. My girlfriend has been widowed twice and divorced once. She had to find all of the documentation from all of them. I do not plan to fly again, but can still be called for jury duty to a federal building, and you never know, I may have to fly again, even if I don't want to. At some point, I will probably let my passport expire, but who knows. I need to check and see when it expires!

I got my old marriage license from the county where I was married, it didn't take them very long to mail it to me! Now I just need to go back and try again. Was talking to my sister in Texas, she didn't even know what I was talking about, had no idea about any federally compliant DL! HAHA! She had gotten her DL renewed last year. So, I asked her to go and look at it and sure enough, she already has it. She needed nothing! Nothing more than a normal DL. Heck she didn't even know she had it already. LOL! *smh*

I took everything I thought they might ask for when I went for mine. All I needed was my passport. I have had mine for maybe two years...can't remember.