Updating DMV

[hope.n400]

Hello,

I live in CA and am unable to locate a DMV form to use to notify them that I'm a citizen now. Can someone please guide me?

Thanks.

 

[König]

No need to do that until your DL expires. When you renew it, just bring your citizenship documents to the nearest office.

 

[usaflyingeagle]

Hello,

I live in CA and am unable to locate a DMV form to use to notify them that I'm a citizen now. Can someone please guide me?

Thanks.

Hi
As far as I know, you do not have to do anything with CA DMV about your citizen. There is even not such a form either. Even at the time of renewal, you will just receive a notice at most of the case and reply with required renewal fee. Then a brand new DL will be mailed to you. That's done. But after certain mail-renewals, you will be required to appear DMV office for taking picture and eye examine. However if you have bad driving record, the story will be totally different.

P.S. Unless this is an initial application for DL, you are not even required to provide proof of your immigration status but SS# if not in record.

 

[cfiler]

You may want to check with your local DMV. Here in Florida they told me I need to go and show proof of US Citizenship and that they will then update my records.

They know I had a green card, I have friends in law enforcement and they showed me how when they look me up, my A # still appears.

I haven't bothered doing that yet, but I will at some point.

 

[ginnu]

if one had GC and DL of NJ and want to update DMV/MVA record as US citizen then update at the time renewal of your DL.

 

[König]

In Washington state, there is no need to update the record at the Department of Licensing... ever... because driving licences are issued regardless of the immigration status and are not linked to it in any way

 

[anxiouscdn2]

And in Georgia, although it's not documented anywhere, they look up your citizenship status at the poll, in a database that either is the DL database or derives from it, to determine whether or not you're eligible to vote.

This happened to me yesterday. The polling place manager actually stood with my US passport in his hand and said "We can't let you vote over there" (gesturing at the voting machines) "because although you are registered, we have no proof you are a US citizen." I had to cast a provisional ballot.

Then they handed me a letter laying out steps to follow next, which included "notify the Department of Driver Services."

I'd personally even advocated on this forum for Georgia residents to update their DL, but hadn't gotten around to doing it myself. I wasn't really sure it was necessary. Now I know.

 

[König]

The polling place manager actually stood with my US passport in his hand and said "We can't let you vote over there" (gesturing at the voting machines) "because although you are registered, we have no proof you are a US citizen."

Unfortunately, many American folks are quite ignorant when it comes to the matters of citizenship and immigration, so I would not not be surprised if this particular clerk did not know that the US passport is a perfect proof of the US citizenship. And quite frankly, republican states are worse in this regard. Until recently, the Texas DPS would not accept the US passport as a proof of citizenship if the birth place was not in the USA, but they were sued by someone and ultimately removed this provision. That is why the federal government was put in charge of immigration and citizenship, not individual states.

 

[anxiouscdn2]

Actually, the clerk seemed to believe I was a US citizen but had (or claimed to have) no authority to allow me to vote, other than by provisional ballot. I subsequently had to fax the info page from the self-same passport to the county Board of Elections, and then they allegedly cleared the black mark from my record in the system and designated my ballot to be counted.

In Canada, where I'm from, polling place personnel have the authority to deal with matters on this kind of level. Not in Georgia, apparently.

I agree that it seems like a Republican state kind of issue. In fact, I am silently in violent dissent whenever Georgians fulminate about how they wish the evil federal government would keep out of our state business. As far as I'm concerned, our state government is typically inept or corrupt, and I prefer the federal government any day. If it had been left up to the good folk of Georgia and the kinds of folk they like to elect, we'd still have segregated schools, I betcha.

 

[TheRealCanadian]

Actually, the clerk seemed to believe I was a US citizen but had (or claimed to have) no authority to allow me to vote, other than by provisional ballot. I subsequently had to fax the info page from the self-same passport to the county Board of Elections, and then they allegedly cleared the black mark from my record in the system and designated my ballot to be counted.

Yup. That's what we needed to do too.

If it had been left up to the good folk of Georgia and the kinds of folk they like to elect, we'd still have segregated schools, I betcha.

I doubt it. Last time I checked, Canada had segregated schools longer than Georgia.

 

[anxiouscdn2]

What a non sequitur. The history of segregated schools in Canada affects Georgia history, how?

Are you seriously trying to suggest that school integration in Georgia would have occurred without pressure from the federal government? Have you actually read any local history? I think you were just supplying a robotic response along the lines of "Oh no, criticism of Americans from a former Canadian! Must point out that Canada is worse than the US in every possible way!"

 

[König]

From this and other posts by TheRealCanadian, it seems that he left Canada because it was not conservative enough for him, so this could explain his remarks about the voluntary would-be desegregation in Georgia in the absence of the federal intervention. I personally love Canada exactly for the same reason why I would never choose to live in states like Georgia. No offence and sorry for the off topic.