[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by HarryT

There's no requirement to be a US citizen; the requirement is simply that you have an acceptable form of ID to prove your identity, and what's acceptable is the government's job to decide. Why doesn't your state issue driving licences that comply with the government's requirements for ID? If the law was passed in 2005, twelve years would seem an adequate period of time for them to do so.

And the only acceptable driver's license from Washington after the above date is an enhanced driver's license and that license requires proof of citizenship.

Washington has a limited extension for REAL ID enforcement, allowing Federal agencies to accept driver's licenses from Washington through June 6, 2017.

"Real ID" deadline looms: Proposed fix would leave Washington with two-tiered license

When federal identification standards take effect for air travel in January, Washington residents, like others across the country, will need an enhanced driver’s license or a passport to board a domestic flight. That could be a problem if Washington doesn’t soon comply with federal standards.

Washington state, heavily reliant on a migrant labor force, is the only state in the country that doesn’t verify applicants’ legal residency status when issuing standard driver’s licenses and identification cards. As such, Washington is among five states — Montana, Minnesota, Missouri and Maine are the others — out of compliance with the federal Real ID act, which establishes national standards for state-issued driver’s licenses and personal identification cards.

Under the act — approved by Congress in 2005 — states are required to verify that an applicant is in the U.S. legally before issuing a driver’s license or identification card. Unlike Maine and Montana, which have extensions for compliance that expire in January, Washington, Minnesota and Missouri have exhausted their extensions.