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fun poll: Driver's License -- Paper or Plastic?? (read the post!)


When I renew my driver's license, I get a....  

  1. 1. When I renew my driver's license, I get a....

    • ...paper license right then, and the real one is mailed later.
      70
    • ...paper license right then, and I go back to pick up the real one later.
      0
    • ...real plastic license; the one I get that day is the one I will keep until time to renew again.
      71
    • ....something else you don't have listed (please explain).
      8


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So, in talking with a friend, I got to wondering about something. When you first apply for your driver's license, and then go for subsequent renewals, is the card you are handed that very day the official, real, plastic license?

 

Or are you first given a paper temporary license and the real one comes in the mail (or you return to get it) later on?

 

I ask because we are renewing our Resident cards (going from Temp. to Permanent) and first you get a little slip of paper. So I explained that to my friend, saying it was just like the temporary paper driver's license you get. She is from a different state than me so had no clue; her state, you get the real live plastic one when you renew, right then & there.

 

So that got me wondering --- what about where you live? When you renew your driver's license (or apply for the first time) are you issued the real card right then, or a paper stand-in for a bit and the real one is mailed to you later?

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From my sister's experience (she moved here out of state), she was given a paper temporary license and then the real plastic one was sent through the mail. When my SO got his ID here after we moved from another state, he was given a plastic one right away. These are both experiences from different counties (same state though), so that could be why there is a difference.

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In TN, you get the permanent one unless you renew online, in which case you get a paper one to print out to use with your old one until the new one comes in the mail. I'm still amazed you can renew your drivers license online-it seems VERY insecure to me.

 

When I first got my driver's license, in VA in the dark ages, it was two pieces of paper in a plastic sleeve similar to the ones you put baseball cards in. You got a temporary piece of paper for one part of it for the first couple of months, and then had to go to court to get a real one, which gave the judge (or some court official dressed up in a robe) the chance to give us a lecture on how important a responsibility driving was and put the fear of the judicial system into us :).

 

I don't know if they still do that or not. It was probably not terribly cost or time effective.

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Texas is the first state out of 8 where I got a temporary paper one and they mailed me a plastic one. In the 7 other states, going back almost 25 years, I always walked out with my real license. It wouldn't have been bad, except they took so long to mail the license. I needed to travel and rent cars, so I had to renew the temporary (could only be done at the main office in Austin -- thankfully, I'm just a few miles away and not in El Paso or somewhere), and then the renewed temporary expired before we got our real licenses (dh and I went in to change our license on the same day). Needless to say, we haven't been impressed with the state government here, and I've lived (and had driver's licenses) in such backward states as TN ('92), SC ('88) and LA('89). (Other states were VA ('94), CO('95), WA('01), UT('03).) TX was ('09).

Edited by higginszoo
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When I first got my driver's license, in VA in the dark ages, it was two pieces of paper in a plastic sleeve similar to the ones you put baseball cards in. You got a temporary piece of paper for one part of it for the first couple of months, and then had to go to court to get a real one, which gave the judge (or some court official dressed up in a robe) the chance to give us a lecture on how important a responsibility driving was and put the fear of the judicial system into us :).

 

I remember this from the '80s when I was in VA ... I was a Navy kid and had a LA license for simplicity's sake because that was our home of record. But my friends had the papers in the baseball card sleeve. By the time I was back in VA as an adult in '94, though, it was a regular plastic license handed to me when I turned in my TN license. I also find it interesting that most states take your old license -- 6 out of 7 times I changed states -- but Utah punched a hole in my WA license and handed it back, so I still have it (lovely picture, too, I had my 3 babies 2, 1 and newborn, in tow for my typical DMV wait).

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In SC you get the plastic one there at the DMV. You can renew online but if you do it is only for 5 yrs and the next renewal must be done at the DMV (so every other renewal may be done online). If you renew at the DMV it is for 10 years.

 

Yep. I've never heard of a paper one.

 

We have DH's grandma's from the 1940s. It's stamped metal.

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Texas is the first state out of 8 where I got a temporary paper one and they mailed me a plastic one. In the 7 other states, going back almost 25 years, I always walked out with my real license. It wouldn't have been bad, except they took so long to mail the license. I needed to travel and rent cars, so I had to renew the temporary (could only be done at the main office in Austin -- thankfully, I'm just a few miles away and not in El Paso or somewhere), and then the renewed temporary expired before we got our real licenses (dh and I went in to change our license on the same day). Needless to say, we haven't been impressed with the state government here, and I've lived (and had driver's licenses) in such backward states as TN ('92), SC ('88) and LA('89). (Other states were VA ('94), CO('95), WA('01), UT('03).) TX was ('09).

 

Huh, that is not the normal situation in TX. Usually the paper one is handed over, then the plastic one is mailed and you get it within 2 wks or less. I've never had to renew the paper one.

 

But having always lived in TX (until Brazil), I had never heard of people getting a plastic one right away, no waiting.

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The past 2 4yr renewals I've completed by mail. They sent me a new plastic one using my old picture. The last time I renewed, I was given the option of renewing for 8 years, so my current license expires in 2017, but it still has my picture from 1999. Yeah, I look just a little different.

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Huh, that is not the normal situation in TX. Usually the paper one is handed over, then the plastic one is mailed and you get it within 2 wks or less. I've never had to renew the paper one.

 

But having always lived in TX (until Brazil), I had never heard of people getting a plastic one right away, no waiting.

 

We went in on April 10, and finally got plastic ones on August 20. It was ridiculous. I have another friend who moved here recently (Jan-Feb?) and had a similar wait -- got hers in April or May (she asked me about it).

 

And I just now put together your username here with who you are. LOL

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We went in on April 10, and finally got plastic ones on August 20. It was ridiculous. I have another friend who moved here recently (Jan-Feb?) and had a similar wait -- got hers in April or May (she asked me about it).

 

And I just now put together your username here with who you are. LOL

 

LOL, no problem. I'm incognito here on purpose since the board is so much more public and how we school + where we live is not the best mix.

 

So, I first read your post as April 10 to April 20 and was thinking "10 days isn't bad.....is she really that impatient??" then I re-read. Oh. August. Yea, that is insane. I'd expect that kind of delay here in Brazil, but not in TX. that's just crazy.

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OK gives it to you right there. If you print online how do they update your photo?

 

Never heard of paper.

 

In TX at least, the paper one doesn't have your photo; you print it (if you renew on-line) or they hand it to you at the DMV, but it has your info only, no photo. Then the plastic one has a photo (but if you renew on-line, the photo is carried over from the last one).

 

In BR the driver's license doesn't have a photo at all (but has every other bit of information that exists about you), but the ID card does; they just glue a little photo on that you bring in for that purpose. Then the plastic one will have it printed in like on a US driver's license.

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NJ you get the real one the same day. You go up to the window with your paperwork and payment, sit down again, go up to take your picture, sit down again, go up to pick up your license. On a bad day that can take a very long time.

 

Last time I went was my first time getting the new digital license. I had to have more proof of identity and residence than I did getting a passport. I'm not sure if I can renew through the mail next time or not.

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Here in Maine, you visit the DMV and get your plastic one while you wait. My husband watched the kids when I had to renew mine a few years ago.

 

Praise God. :lol: Everyone else's crazy whiny kids at the DMV were driving me bonkers. MY crazy whiny kids would have pushed me over the edge...

 

My photo would not have been nice...

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We get a paper temporary license that diesn't look very license-like, and they clip a chunk off the corner of our old license. I got pulled over once in New Mexico with these, and the officer was furious that I'd cut up my driver's license (and refused to believe the temporary one counted). I thought he was going to take me in.

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LOL, no problem. I'm incognito here on purpose since the board is so much more public and how we school + where we live is not the best mix.

 

So, I first read your post as April 10 to April 20 and was thinking "10 days isn't bad.....is she really that impatient??" then I re-read. Oh. August. Yea, that is insane. I'd expect that kind of delay here in Brazil, but not in TX. that's just crazy.

 

Yes, it sounded like your FB story today. Dh was traveling 100% of the time, and had to ride with a coworker for several weeks because he couldn't rent a car on an expired temporary license. They kept on insisting that Texas DPS knew what was going on, so we wouldn't get in trouble if we got pulled over ... which would have worked in TX, but since we were only half as far from a lot of family, and dh was gone anyway, I traveled a lot, all out-of-state trips.

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In TX at least, the paper one doesn't have your photo; you print it (if you renew on-line) or they hand it to you at the DMV, but it has your info only, no photo. Then the plastic one has a photo (but if you renew on-line, the photo is carried over from the last one).

 

 

Here in Travis County, the paper temporary now has your photo (in b&w) on it. I wonder if these things vary by county as much as by state?

 

ETA: I got my new one last month. The photo was consirably less flattering than my avatar.

Edited by Sharon in Austin
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Here in Travis County, the paper temporary now has your photo (in b&w) on it. I wonder if these things vary by county as much as by state?

 

ETA: I got my new one last month. The photo was consirably less flattering than my avatar.

 

A bad picture is better than none. They took our Utah licenses in '09, so it was a good thing that we had passports for travel. We were in Travis County, too, but up on Research initially. When I had to renew, it was down on Lamar, not at the regular place, but at the office building nearby.

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Maybe ... I don't know where you go for routine renewal ... this was for renewing a temporary, which was something that they didn't seem to have a procedure for. It took DAYS on the phone, but I NEEDED to rent a car in late June, and my temporary was only for 60 days. I didn't blame the car rental company for not wanting to rent to someone with a dubious looking, expired paper license. They very grudgingly gave me a 30 day extension and a new piece of paper.

 

I was going to go back down to that office to do a second renewal, but waited a few days until I was going to be down that way anyway (to drop my ds at your house for the math team prep your dh was doing), but the real ones finally came.

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When I got my very first license, it was a paper card, but laminated. I got it right there, that day. Eventually, they upgraded to the hard plastic cards. Those you also get on the day of issue/renewal. The last time I renewed, I renewed online. They didn't send a new license, just a sticker to go on the back of the old one saying expiration has been extended until whatever date. This recently caused some problems in my house. I looked at my license and saw that it had expired a few years ago. I had completely forgotten about my online renewal. So, I was a bit freaked out that I had been driving around on an expired license for years, and trying to figure out how I could let that happen (I'm generally way too organized to allow something like that). I don't remember what it was that reminded me of the online renewal, but it was a good 1-2 weeks before I remembered it. Luckily, I remembered before wasting a day at the DMV. It wouldn't have been the first time I'd driven around illegally for years, but it would have been the first time with it being my fault.

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Here in Travis County, the paper temporary now has your photo (in b&w) on it. I wonder if these things vary by county as much as by state?

 

ETA: I got my new one last month. The photo was consirably less flattering than my avatar.

 

I find it fascinating that even w/in the same state things are so different. Or maybe that's just new; my last paper one in TX was I think 2 yrs ago. I had to renew it in order to get my BR license w/o having to do a driving test.

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We used to get plastic licenses right then, but someone broke into the DMV and stole the machine. So, paper now and they mail the real one.

 

Funny story about the DMV here--it's just one person and they're only open 2 days a day, for four hours. So, there's always a line. The kids doing their tests have to make an appointment a week in advance, so the lady can SHUT DOWN THE OFFICE to go drive with them! Want to see a bunch of really ticked off people??? Have your child (who looks 12) walk up to the window when his name is called right at his appointment time, watch the lady shut everything down and walk out the door with her! And then when they get back, she gets my signature and deals with HIM whilst everyone else waits! There really has to be a better system. I had a number of people give me the what-for during his driving test... Thank heavens he passed so we didn't have to do it again. The examiner suggested he drive faster!

 

Oh my goodness! That is hilarious! (in a "glad I wasn't waiting..." kind of way)

 

Has no one suggested that they schedule a different day of the week for the kids to take the driving test? On a day when they aren't usually open for people waiting?

 

Man, I cannot imagine being you having to wait there w/all the angry everyone while she's off testing your son! Hope you are able to laugh about it now (and will you have to repeat when the next one is old enough?)

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We used to get plastic licenses right then, but someone broke into the DMV and stole the machine. So, paper now and they mail the real one.

 

Funny story about the DMV here--it's just one person and they're only open 2 days a day, for four hours. So, there's always a line. The kids doing their tests have to make an appointment a week in advance, so the lady can SHUT DOWN THE OFFICE to go drive with them! Want to see a bunch of really ticked off people??? Have your child (who looks 12) walk up to the window when his name is called right at his appointment time, watch the lady shut everything down and walk out the door with her! And then when they get back, she gets my signature and deals with HIM whilst everyone else waits! There really has to be a better system. I had a number of people give me the what-for during his driving test... Thank heavens he passed so we didn't have to do it again. The examiner suggested he drive faster!

 

Wow that is crazy. I assume you aren't in a very populated area?

 

We have some locations that only do paperwork stuff, a few that do inspections and a few that do driving tests. You can do paperwork at the inspection and testing ones but can't do tests or inspections at the paperwork only one. And there are lots and lots of people working usually. Except the paperwork only one and then they have a guy sitting at the door to check out your proof of identity and residence and he probably sends a good third of the people back home since they are missing information.

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