New NH Driver Licenses Will Reduce Identity Theft, Improve Enforcement

CONCORD, NH – New Hampshire Motor Vehicle offices have begun a roll-out of new driver licenses designed to reduce identity theft and improve the enforcement of laws that apply to people under the age of 21, such as the state drinking age. Licenses for anyone under 21 years of age issued from now on will have a vertical orientation rather than the horizontal orientation of other licenses, to make them readily identifiable.

"The new licenses are a significant improvement," said John J. Barthelmes, Commissioner of Safety. "They contain a variety of enhancements and formatting designed to prevent counterfeiting and to make them less susceptible to identity theft. Plus, the vertical orientation of the under-21 license will be easy to spot by store clerks and restaurant servers to prevent underage drinking." He noted that the New Hampshire Wholesale Beverage Association, the Retail Grocers Association and the State Liquor Commission strongly supported legislation that passed making this new vertical license format possible.
The application procedures, fees and requirements for New Hampshire driver licenses remain the same. One change is applicants will be first issued a 60-day temporary license at any DMV licensing station. The permanent license will be mailed from DMV headquarters in Concord. This will provide an additional verification as to the actual residence of the licensee.

The new licenses will be issued to first-time applicants and to everyone else at the time of renewal. With a five-year license cycle it will be five years before everyone has the new licenses. The non-driver’s identification cards that are available to residents that do not have a driver’s license but feel they need a form of State-issued photo identification will also be produced in the new format.

"The new licenses are already being issued in Concord and Manchester. They will be phased in at all DMV stations by June 6th," said Virginia C. Beecher, Director of Motor Vehicles.

Most states and Canadian provinces have adopted a format that places the data fields on the license in basically the same position on the document, making it easier for law enforcement officers to pick out such information as height, weight and license number and type at a glance. The type font is also larger, for better readability. There are various anti-counterfeiting features built into the new licenses that will make them more difficult to duplicate or alter.

Director Beecher says New Hampshire licenses are accepted by all states as valid identification. DMV will be working with the New Hampshire Police Standards and Training Council to ensure that police officers throughout New Hampshire and in other states are educated as to the new format and the features of the new licenses.

New Hampshire driver’s licenses are valid for five years. The state issues approximately 200,000 new and renewed licenses per year.

Anyone with driver license inquiries should call 271-2371.