Question: My driver’s license expires on Dec. 19, 2020. Could I renew it before it expires and also get the “gold star” applied to it?
Answer: Yes. Hawaii driver’s license holders can renew up to six months in advance, without shortening the credential’s duration. Since your license expires on Dec. 19, 2020, you could renew it as early as June 20, 2020. That’s well before October 2020, when the “gold star” standard is expected to be enforced nationwide.
Your license would expire on Dec. 19, 2022, if you are 72 or older at the time of renewal, or Dec. 19, 2028, if you are 25 to 71 at the time of renewal.
The “gold star” on the license, actually a white star in a gold circle, signifies Hawaii’s compliance with the federal REAL ID Act and means that you will be able to use the ID to pass through U.S. airport security checkpoints once federal authorities begin enforcement.
Other forms of identification also will be valid for domestic air travel, such as a U.S. passport.
Q: What are the personal documents and which application would I need in order to complete this? I am American.
A: You must present documents proving your:
>> Legal name and date of birth, commonly a certified U.S. birth certificate or a valid U.S. passport (either of which also would verify your legal presence in the United States, a requirement that can be fulfilled by legal immigrants using different documents).
>> Social Security number, commonly your Social Security card or a 1099 form or a W-2 form, as long as it that has your Social Security number printed on it. A current Medicare card containing your Social Security number also is acceptable, although this form of proof is being phased out as Medicare cards are replaced with ones that don’t contain SSNs.
>> Primary Hawaii residency, commonly your unexpired driver’s license; mail from a government entity, such as your voter-registration or driver’s license renewal postcard; utility bills or bank statements; or a motor vehicle registration card. Two forms of proof are required. The license applicant’s name and current Hawaii address must appear on both.
If your name does not match on your documents, you must document your name change. Acceptable documents to do so include marriage certificates, adoption papers or a certificate of legal name change.
We encourage you to click through the Driver License and State ID Document Guide at license.honolulu.gov to confirm that you have the correct documents. Find the driver’s license application form on the same website, as well as links to make a renewal appointment once you are eligible to do so.
For readers eligible to renew now, don’t delay. Appointments fill up about eight weeks in advance at some locations. Walk-ins are allowed, but the renewal process is much quicker for people with reservations.
Q: When they say the name has to match exactly on your documents, does that include the middle name? My birth certificate has my full name on it, but the mail I will bring to prove Hawaii residency just has my middle initial. Is that OK?
A: Yes, that’s OK. “Middle names do not matter unless they conflict,” said Sheri Kajiwara, director of the city’s Department of Customer Services. For example, John Doe, John A. Doe and John Adam Doe would not be a problem. However, John Adam Doe on one document and John F. Doe on another would not be accepted.
First names are a different story. “We have had cases where first names are misspelled. For example, Lynn and Lynne. Or Mabel and Mable. These can be problematic. If you have an option to use an alternate document, that is safer. If the error is on your main documents, you should get it corrected before you need it,” Kajiwara said.
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
