Maryland Announces Recall of 8,000 Non-Compliant Driver's Licenses

If you are in possession of one of these licenses, you may have to surrender it during a traffic stop.

If you haven’t responded to notices for your recalled Maryland driver's license, your time may be up. The Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration has announced the recall of 8,000 driver's licenses that are out of compliance with the REAL ID act. Drivers with one of these licenses could have the license confiscated if pulled over by police. Officials are encouraging drivers to get compliant by visiting an MVA branch as soon as possible.

The residents in this first batch of 8,000 licenses have been sent multiple notifications going back to December of 2018, and more than 780,000 Marylanders still have licenses that need to be updated. On August 8, 2019, the State of Maryland announced it had been given compliance status with the Department of Homeland Security. The Federal REAL ID act law created standards for driver's licenses and identification cards issued by the states. All Americans must have a REAL ID compatible license to board a plane or enter government buildings by October of 2020.

MVA REAL ID license

How do you know if you are compliant? The Maryland MVA has a page on its website where you can enter your license number to find out. If you are not compliant, you will need to visit the MVA with the following documents:

Passport or birth certificate
Social Security card
Two documents that prove Maryland residence, i.e., utility bill, insurance bill, lease.

The MVA has extended hours at several locations and increased the availability of appointments to facilitate full REAL ID compliance. You can check the requirements and make an appointment online here. Another final notice of compliance was issued for 150,000 residents in June. These drivers have until November to bring their documents up to date.

Are you REAL ID compliant? What has your experience been with this process? Tell us in the comments!