New Licenses to be Available by End of Summer
If you want a new Enhanced Driver License (EDL), bring an extra $30 and head down to your local DMV office. Governor Paterson recently announced that the Department of Homeland Security has permitted New York State (NYS) to issue an EDL. The license can be obtained at any DMV and is expected to boost the economy by expediting cross-border land and sea travel for NYS citizens.
The EDL should be available by the end of the summer and will feature various security features within the document. To get one, you’ll need various proofs of identity and citizenship, which the DMV will then verify. The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) compliant EDL will cost $30 more than a current state driver license, but is still less than a U.S. passport, making it more affordable for those with a lower income.
The EDL will not look too much different from a current state driver license, but it will have additional information. The EDL project will be voluntary and open to all NYS residents who are US citizens. The New York DMV worked to develop the EDL under the WHTI, which aims to increase border security. Under the provisions of the WHTI, citizens of NYS would have to provide a passport to enter the U.S. from Canada starting June 1, 2009 unless they have a federally approved alternative.
Because they should be available by the end of this coming summer, NYS residents will have ample time to get them before the deadline. After the application process, the EDL should only take about a week to arrive.
From the press release: DMV Commissioner David J. Swarts said: “This agreement between the Department and DHS is a sound policy for recognizing the benefits of the new license option. The EDL will go a long way to ensure the Upstate economy does not suffer from the new federal mandate for border crossing.”
What Others Have To Say
What Do You Think?
Related Articles
-
Outsourcing Journalism for Less than a Penny a Word: Is T …
As the global financial crisis throws economies around the world into recession, more and more industries are getting hit. Banks have been bailed out. Auto manufacturers are drowning. Newspapers, though, were ahead of their time as they've been dying slowly for more than a decade.
Warren Buffett, the legendary investor and owner of our hometown Buffalo News, acknowledged the fate of newspapers in his 2006 shareholder letter when he wrote:
Nevertheless, this operation faces … - Today, 2:10pm
- Continue Reading
- Join the conversation
-
Got a Good Photo? Win $100 Gift Certificate
As you look outside your office window today, you're likely overtaken by the sheer beauty. Blowing snow. People hunched over, freezing, trying to walk into a 30MPH wind. You're probably reading from the script of American Beauty:
Sometimes there's so much beauty in the world I feel like I can't take it... and my heart is going to cave in.
Or, maybe you're just thinking "Oh f#@!, I have to drive home in this s*$#."
Either way, we're here to lift your spirits.
If you'd li … - Today, 12:35pm
- Continue Reading
- 1 Comments
-
Delaware Avenue Make-Over Approved
A two-story Delaware Avenue office building is getting a new face and a third story. The Buffalo Planning Board approved renovation plans for 334 Delaware Avenue at this morning's meeting. Owner 120 W. Tupper Street Inc. is undertaking the $1.2 million project. The bland building will get a new look and a glass third-floor addition.- Today, 11:08am
- Continue Reading
- 9 Comments
-
Science Firsthand - Partners in Discovery
At an after school program recently, some kids were doing homework, some were on computers and some were in the gym. But a small group of fourth-graders were designing and building boats out of household products- plastic cups, construction paper, and tape. They had been building and modifying their boats throughout the week, trying a few different design and construction plans. Now they were ready to race them across a tub of water, using a fan to power them across. After deal … - Today, 8:00am
- Continue Reading
- Join the conversation
Comment Options
sbrof
Great!!!!!! What fantastic news. Just like shared border this concept was shot down once. I am glad it is back, affordable and quick.
Report this
linksfiend
Do people know you can get a plastic credit-card-sized birth certificate at City Hall. A friend showed me this a couple weeks ago. For $25, you can keep this in your wallet, use it for life and not spend the extra $30 every 7 years when your license expires or the extra $80 for a passport.
Report this
marcia2
That would be great linksfiend if your birth certificate was considered a federal approved alternative. All these new laws are tied up with the Real Id Act. Soon all Governors will be required to implement some form of the National Id law into their state. Enhanced Driver Licence or another word for microchip....Papers Please
Report this