Real ID

The primary purpose of a Driver’s license is to establish the holder of that license has the minimum skills required to safely operate a motor vehicle. Many entities have decided that this driving document can be accepted as proof of ID. The department does not have any authority to mandate that other entities accept our driving documents as proof of ID. 

Note that Vermont is Real ID compliant. The Vermont Driver Privilege Card is Not Real ID compliant.  See more on Real ID here. 

Yes, the Vermont EDL & EID are designated as acceptable border-crossing documents by DHS under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI). Vermont EDL & EID are acceptable for official Federal purposes (i.e., boarding a commercial aircraft, accessing a federal facility, or entering a nuclear power plant).

A Vermont license which is NOT Real ID compliant will be labeled as a "Driver's Privilege Card." The Privilege Card is available to anyone that is a Vermont Resident and a U.S. Citizen, U.S. National or Permanent Resident Alien or, an Undocumented Immigrant in the United States

If your name is different than the one shown on your birth certificate or other document used to establish identity and date of birth, you must provide certified copies of the legal documents that connect the name on the document used to establish identity and date of birth to your current name. The following documents are acceptable.

Court-ordered name change.
This includes:

• Orders under petition for name change.
• Orders for name change in a divorce decree or decree of annulment.
• Orders for name change in a decree of adoption.

The court order must contain your prior full legal name, your court-ordered full legal name and your date of birth. It must be a certified copy and have the stamp or raised seal of the issuing court.

Marriage certificate.
The marriage certificate must be issued by a state office of vital statistics or equivalent agency in the state or country where you were married, and must be a certified copy with a stamp or raised seal of the issuing authority. A church, chapel, or similarly issued certificate is not acceptable.

In all cases, the documents must connect the name shown on your birth certificate or other document used to establish identity and date of birth to your current name. You do not have to document a complete listing of all the names you may have previously used, as long as the documents you provide clearly connect the two.

No.

Your card will read “limited term” and the expiration date will coincide with the expiration of valid legal status obtained from documentation provided. If your lawful stay has no defined end or expiration date, you will have the option of choosing a 2 or 4 year card.

No. The Driver's License or ID card remains fully valid for all purposes normally associated with a Driver's License or ID card in the form issued.

A Driver's License or ID card marked “limited term” merely signifies that it is issued to a person who is a foreign national with temporary lawful status in the United States and has a shorter term than a regular Driver's License or ID card.

Maybe; The Vermont Enhanced Driver's License (EDL) is a driver’s license that can also be used as a cross-border travel document to enter the U.S. by land and sea. It denotes both identity and citizenship, per (WHTI). The Vermont EDL is a Real ID card and also a cross-border travel document for entering the U.S. by land and sea. However, not every Vermont Real ID card is also an EDL.

Only Vermont Licenses marked as “Enhanced” may be used for cross-border travel.