By Calvin Biesecker
The State of Arizona last week formally agreed to work with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on creating an Enhanced Drivers Licence (EDL) for its citizens that is compliant the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) and eventually making the license compliant with the requirements of REAL ID.
Arizona plans to begin issuing the EDL licenses sometime next year.
Under WHTI, United States citizens traveling between the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean Basin, Bermuda, and Central and South America must have a passport. However, if they are entering the United States at a land border crossing from Canada or Mexico, they may use the EDL or eventually a State Department-issued Pass Card.
Several other border states have already agreed to issue EDLs, including Washington and New York. Next month Washington plans to begin accepting applications for EDLs on a voluntary basis but indications so far are that interest is high, a spokeswoman for the State’s Department of Licensing, told Defense Daily on Friday.
To issue EDLs states must first have their license issuance process approved by DHS to verify that it is secure. Applicants for an EDL much prove their U.S. citizenship, establish their identity, and prove they are a resident of the state in which they are seeking the license. In Washington applicants will have their citizenship and residency documents verified by document authentication technology. An applicant will also have his or her digital photo taken and have it searched against a database to help verify their identity.
Digimarc [DMRC] currently produces Washington’s drivers’ licenses.
A key feature of the actual EDL will be the incorporation of Radio Frequency Identification Technology (RFID) into the card so that as a citizen arrives at a Customs and Border Protection gate at the land port, their picture and a unique identification number will be sent to a computer screen manned by a federal agent. Once the citizen gets to the gate, their picture and certain biographical information will already be displayed on the CBP agent’s display, allowing the agent to quickly ascertain if the person or persons in the vehicle are the appropriate EDL license holders.
DHS plans to begin implementing WHTI at the land borders next month and then hopes to have it fully implemented by next summer. However, Congress is considering legislation in the delayed FY ’08 Homeland Security Appropriations Bill to delay implementation for at least a year.
REAL ID does not require the RFID feature in the drivers licenses. However, a final rule on REAL ID is expected early next year.