Too old for Real ID? NBC 10 responds to birth certificate questions

LINCOLN, R.I. (WJAR) — Elizabeth Cipriano, 72, of Lincoln, has heard the alerts about Real ID.

Starting Oct. 1, a Real ID will be required to fly or get into some federal buildings.

So, when Cipriano's driver's license came up for renewal in December, she decided to upgrade to Real ID.

Before heading to the Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles, she grabbed a checklist to make sure she had all the necessary documentation.

"I took all the correct documentation that's stated: a copy of my birth certificate, a copy of a bill, a copy of a bank statement, and my Social Security card," said Cipriano.

But when she got to the counter, she learned there was a problem with her birth certificate.

"She said, 'Can I have your birth certificate?'" said Cipriano. "She looked at it and she goes, 'I can't use this, it's too old.'"

Cipriano smirked and said: "Well, I am old. I'm 72 years old."

Frustrated that the birth certificate she'd be using for 72 years was no longer valid, she called the NBC 10 I-Team Consumer Advocate.

"I mean, my bank statement matched my Social Security number. I had a utility bill in my name. I mean, what do they want, two vials of blood?" Cipriano said. "I don't know what else they want."

NBC 10 took Cipriano’s concerns to DMV Administrator Bud Craddock.

"Hers was not an official birth certificate and not something we could accept," said Craddock.

It turns out several other people have contacted the DMV with the same problem.

Craddock said many hospitals in Rhode Island used to issue similar certificates years ago. Parents assumed they were birth certificates, but they're not.

"It only has the child's name and a picture -- those were issued by hospitals, and not a state-issued birth certificate, which Real ID mandates we have to collect," said Craddock.

Cipriano offered a rebuttal.

"If they indicated on their form, the DMV, that they would not accept an old birth certificate, I would have gone there one day, and then gone back there to renew my license," said Cipriano.

Anyone holding onto an older certificate of birth and born after 1960 can head to any Rhode Island city or town hall, the state Department of Health or the DMV in Cranston to pick up an official birth certificate, prior to applying for Real ID.

Anyone born prior to 1960 can only obtain a birth certificate at the city or town in which they were born, in the city or town where their parents lived at the time of your birth, at the state Office of Vital Records in Providence, or the Vital Records annex in the DMV headquarters.

Craddock said anyone planning to fly in the fall should not wait until the Oct. 1 deadline to apply.

"Will we have a back up?" Craddock said, anticipating longer DMV lines later this year. "I'm sure as we get closer to the deadline, more people will start to come in and realize they do have to get the credential."

Craddock said women who have changed their last names and are also running into problems.

If a person's last name doesn't match their birth certificate, they should bring a certified marriage certificate or divorce decree.

Craddock also stressed that anyone who has no plans to fly, really doesn't need Real ID.

People can still get into Social Security offices, Veterans Administration buildings and federal courts with a regular driver's license.

People will only be restricted from very secure sites, like nuclear facilities and military bases.