Our address has changed. We are in the same farmhouse as before, yet the community decided to run the street name from town down to our part, that used to be a county road. It has been an unnecessary hassle all around. It disrupted our mail. They told us to put two different addresses on our mailbox. We had to notify various institutions (and continue to recognize more places we forgot to update). I'm not sure what it accomplished for the town, but it has created undue stress for us.
Thus, I was feeling confident, when I received the BMV notification telling me I could renew on-line unless I had an address change. An address change required two official computer-generated documents bearing my name and the new address. Plus, I needed to take them to the nearest BMV facility (ten minute's drive away). I checked Google and determined that the least traffic occurs on Tuesday mornings.
Thus, I set out yesterday with my two address-confirming documents and my current license. I took a ticket and waited ten minutes for my turn. At the desk, the clerk asked if I wanted to update my license with the new address or if I wanted a "Real ID." Apparently, as of October 1st of 2020, you will need this "Real ID" to board a plane or train (your regular driver's license is insufficient - not real enough, I guess). Of course, I didn't want to pay the fees twice, so I asked how I go about securing this "Real ID." To obtain it, I needed to not only bring the two address-confirming documents but also a birth certificate and a valid passport. The form she handed me showed I needed my social security card, too.
Off I went (10 minute drive home). My husband dug out my birth certificate and S.S. card while I picked through our family passports and quickly pulled one with my photo. Another 10 minute drive back to the BMV; another 10 minute wait in line. I approached the desk, and the woman looked at my passport and declared, "This is an expired passport. Even if it had been a valid passport, I would have required a marriage license because this bears your maiden name." Another 10 minute drive home, a frustrated replacement of my college passport for my current passport (though the mistake was mine, the frustration loomed regardless), another 10 minute drive back to the BMV, another ticket, another 10 minute wait and I approached a third time (thinking in my head, "if three times is not the charm, then I'm outta here for today"). Next I had to field perplexing questions (Is your house within the city limits now? I don't know if that's the reason they changed the address. And some other question about alternate polling places - I want to continue voting in town at the church location I normally use.)
By the time the woman snapped my photo, my mood is obvious and will legally represent me for the next several years:
Of course, I am still counting my blessings. The nearest BMV could have been twice as far. The lines could have taken twice as long (they try to move it at a clip, even calling out from time to time how many patrons are being served in how many minutes). I do not have to return before October 2020 to amend the driver's license to a Real ID and I am armed with all the information when my husband has to update his license with our new address. If I am lucky, I will not darken those doors again for at least a year. (Then, I must take Trevor to get his license - that will be stress-inducing all on its own, no matter how many times I trek back and forth from house to BMV retrieving unexpected documents - ha!) When I return, I will be sure to bring every possible official document known to man and will be prepared to sign in blood. 😉
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