Press Release

Concord, NH - Applicants for New Hampshire driver licenses who have birth certificates issued in Puerto Rico will need to provide a newly issued birth certificate as proof of age, effective November 1, according to Richard C. Bailey, Jr., Director of Motor Vehicles.

"The government of Puerto Rico is issuing new birth certificates because of security problems with hundreds of thousands of certificates," Bailey said.

According to the US Departments of State and Homeland Security, birth certificates were routinely used in Puerto Rico for identification in many types of transaction. That led to original birth certificates being improperly handled and stored. Many holders of those certificates are thus potential targets for identity theft, ruined credit, stolen Social Security benefits and increased random security checks at airports.

Bailey said any driver license applicant who has a valid US passport will be able to obtain a license. He said the problem regarding birth certificates issued in Puerto Rico does not affect renewals of New Hampshire licenses, only people seeking a new license or people moving to New Hampshire with out-of-state licenses.

Bailey added that the government of Puerto Rico has established English and Spanish language websites for people holding birth certificates from Puerto Rico to obtain new one. The Websites are: www.prfaa.com/birthcertificates/ and www.prfaa.com/certificadosdenaciamiento/.