After October 1, 2021, in order to fly commercially and/or to access federal buildings (including military bases) you will need to have a federally compliant driver’s license, federally compliant identification card, or another form of similarly compliant documentation (such as a passport or military ID).
In order to obtain a federally compliant driver’s license you will need to provide proof of: your full legal name, date of birth, legal presence in the United States, Social Security number, and an Ohio Street Address. Additionally, in order to obtain a federally compliant driver’s license, you will have to resolve any disparities between your name as it listed on your birth certificate and your current legal name.
The full list of requirement’s can be found at the Ohio BMV’s website: www.ohio.bmv.gov
The most common example such disparities occurs if you have been married and changed your name due to marriage. In this case, your legal name is now your married name (which in most cases is different than the name that appears on your birth certificate). In order to resolve this disparity, you need to bring your marriage license or certificate to the BMV when you apply.
If you have been married more than once, you will need to resolve this disparity by showing each of your name changes (i.e. an original or certified copy of each of your marriage certificates). If, as is often the case, there is an irreconcilable disparity between your chain of name changes and your current legal name, you will be required to present an Order of Name Change to the BMV to obtain your federally compliant legal name change.
We have assisted a number of individuals who have had irreconcilable disparities between their chain of name changes and their current legal name. To secure an Order of Name Change, we are required to follow a strict procedure which varies county by county.
If you have any doubt about whether your chain of name changes (or current legal name) will comply with the BMV’s requirements we encourage you to start evaluating your options today. The application process to obtain an Order of Name Change can take anywhere from 1.5-6 months.
If you have questions about the process, contact Attorney Carter Brown at 740-452-8484 today!