Washington deemed fully compliant with REAL ID

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) – Washington state has been found to be in full compliance with federal requirements for state driver’s licenses and ID cards.

This summer, the state Department of Licensing starting marking some Washington driver’s licenses and identification cards with the words “federal limits apply” as the state moved to comply with a 2005 federal law known as REAL ID.

Last Friday, the state received a letter from the Department of Homeland Security that says the determination was made after its review found that the state “has begun implementing a program that meets the standards of the Act and regulation.”

The federal law requires state driver’s licenses and ID cards to have security enhancements and to be issued to people who can prove they are legally in the United States. It was passed after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to strengthen rules for identification needed at airports and federal facilities.