Question: Regarding the new online test to get a driver’s permit (808ne.ws/4fv1GuY), my grandson had the correct computer to take the test but it couldn’t verify him so he will have to go to the DMV to take it anyway. I wish we had known this could happen so he could have made an appointment and not wasted time trying over and over.
Answer: If a prospective test-taker’s identity is not validated during registration at knowtodrive.com/hawaii, there’s no use trying again and the website’s technical staff won’t be able to help, the site says. The solution is to take the written test in person at the DMV, it says.
The identity validation process online is completed through a third-party contractor and “due to privacy and fraud prevention concerns the causes for these failures are not disclosed,” the website says.
As for the proper equipment, the applicant must have an internet- connected desktop or laptop computer with a mouse (or mouse-pad controlled cursor), keyboard and webcam. The online test won’t work with a cellphone, tablet or touchscreen device.
Q: Did you ever find out more about noncitizens going on military bases? We’ve been invited to a party next month on the Kaneohe base and I want to make sure we will be able to attend without embarrassment.
A: Yes, foreign guests are required to register for base access at U.S. military bases throughout Hawaii, a military spokesperson said, not only at Bellows Air Force Station, which we wrote about last month (808ne.ws/4fteN00).
In that case, a U.S. military retiree intending to drive Canadian friends past the guard gate to a popular beach at Bellows’ recreational area was surprised that everyone in the car had to show a valid photo ID, which revealed his friends to be noncitizens who had not pre-registered to enter the base, as required. Bellows AFS states on its website that it now requires ID scans of everyone in the entering vehicle, not just the military-affiliated escort. Other military bases may do the same, without publicizing the practice. All adults should be prepared to show valid photo ID to enter a base, even if they’ve visited before without being asked and even if they are U.S. citizens.
These ID checks are separate from the requirement for foreign citizens to register before entering a base, which applies consistently statewide.
As for instructions for noncitizens to enter Marine Corps Base Hawaii at Kaneohe Bay, a Marine spokesperson summarized details from the base website, 808ne.ws/3ZMexmT, found under the tab “Foreign National Sponsorship.” We’d also suggest that you clarify your entry process with your host. Here are key points from the website:
>> Submit a base access request form to the Provost Marshal Office Customer Service Center at least 14 business days in advance of the requested access date. Include copies of each foreign national passport and visa with the base access request form.
>> Pre-enroll in the Defense Biometric Identity System.
>> Provide proof of invitation to the base by an authorized sponsor.
>> Upon arrival to the installation, the foreign national will visit the Pass and ID Office while accompanied by the authorized sponsor to complete DBIDS enrollment, paperwork and any additional screening.
>> If access is granted, the authorized sponsor and foreign national will receive the access pass. The foreign national must be escorted on base at all times, with some exceptions.
Mahalo
Recently I was leaving Zippy’s Vineyard after a lunch meeting with friends, one of whom is legally blind and ambles slowly with the aid of his white cane with red tip. As he was stepping down from the concrete walkway onto the asphalt of the parking lot, which he has done many times before without incident, he lost his balance and started falling backward. Luckily there was a Polynesian woman nearby who caught him, preventing him from possibly cracking his head on the concrete. Relieved, I asked her if she was Samoan so I could mahalo her with a Faafetai in the Samoan language. She responded, no, she was Tongan. So I then thanked her with a Malo Aupito in Tonganese! She was very pleased I could show my appreciation in her native language. She saved my Okinawan friend from very serious injuries! — E.M.K., Kapahulu
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 2-200, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
