DMV Notifies Customers Who Need to Update Their REAL IDs

Contact: Office of Public Affairs
2415 First Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95818
(916) 657-6437 | [email protected]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 30, 2025

What you need to know: The California DMV is proactively taking steps to keep all Californians' REAL IDs compliant and is notifying some individuals that they must take action to keep their REAL ID valid. This will affect a limited number of customers, approximately 1.5% of California REAL ID holders.

Sacramento - Following a self-initiated, proactive review of its data systems, the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) identified a fraction of REAL ID records that require updates to ensure continued compliance with federal REAL ID regulations. The DMV is informing affected individuals of the steps they need to take.

Only customers who receive a notice - approximately 1.5% of those holding California-issued REAL IDs - need to take action in the coming weeks and months. All other REAL ID holders do not need to take any action.

"We proactively reviewed our records, identified a legacy system issue from 2006, and are notifying impacted customers with clear guidance on how to maintain a valid California-issued credential," said DMV Director Steve Gordon. "For nearly 99% of REAL ID holders, no action is required. The DMV remains committed to serving all Californians and ensuring REAL ID credentials meet federal standards."

The DMV will notify approximately 325,000 individuals on actions they must take in the coming weeks and months to be reissued a REAL ID or a non-REAL ID driver's license, as eligible. The department will expedite the process and waive any associated fees.

The DMV is taking these immediate steps to ensure compliance with federal requirements and is offering expedited processing to support impacted individuals.

The DMV will not call, text, or email you to ask for your personal information or payment to address this issue. If you need to verify DMV action, please call 1-800-777-0133.

How this Happened

The REAL ID Act was signed into law by President Bush in 2005, establishing minimum security standards for state-issued IDs for federal purposes like boarding planes, with full enforcement beginning this year on May 7, 2025. As part of a proactive review of its legacy technology systems this winter, the DMV identified a software configuration dating back to 2006 under the Schwarzenegger Administration that affected how expiration dates were applied to a small subset of REAL ID records.

Under federal rules enforced by the Trump Administration, immigrants with lawful presence in the U.S. - including those who are permanent residents, green card holders, and visa holders - may be issued REAL IDs. While the DMV's systems correctly verified legal presence with the federal government at the time of issuance, the legacy coding from 2006 automatically applied the standard credential renewal interval in some cases, instead of the expiration of a REAL ID holder's authorized stay.

Importantly:

• At NO point were REAL IDs ever issued to undocumented individuals (those without legal presence).
• All individuals received REAL IDs only after the federal system verified their lawful presence.
• The issue was limited solely to how expiration dates were calculated for some of California's noncitizen residents with legal presence.
• Separate and independent federally required safeguards against ineligible individuals registering to vote remained in place, consistent with the federal Motor Voter Act.

Once identified, the DMV implemented a series of safeguards to prevent the issue from recurring and began notifying affected customers.

DMV's Modernization

Over the past five years, the California DMV has fundamentally modernized both its business processes and its core technology systems - moving away from decades-old, paper-based workflows and legacy platforms toward a digital-first service model. Through investments such as the Digital Experience Platform (DXP), the DMV is replacing obsolete core systems while re-engineering processes to automate transactions end-to-end. As a result, the DMV now offers more than 90% of its transactions online, with customers able to complete services on a phone, tablet, or computer - dramatically reducing in-office visits, improving resilience, and delivering faster, more convenient service to Californians.

DMV has been recognized in the Harvard Business Review, Management By Driving Around by authors Robert Sutton and Hayagreeva Rao who analyzed DMV modernization as a case of transforming a bureaucratic organization.

Common Questions

Before Going to a DMV Office - Try Online First

Most DMV tasks do not require an office visit. The DMV encourages customers to use its online services and other service channels for tasks such as eligible driver's license and vehicle registration renewals. Customers can also use the Service Advisor on the DMV website to learn about options to complete DMV tasks.

Go Paperless - To sign up for paperless vehicle registration and driver's license renewal notices, sign in or create a secure online account at dmv.ca.gov to opt in.

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