Acceptable Identification Documents
PHOTOCOPIES ARE NOT ACCEPTED
All acceptable documents presented for verification or proof must be valid (current and not expired). One document may satisfy more than one Group.
Group A – Written Signature
- Cancelled Check (within 90 days prior to application)
- CDTP Certification Form
- Court Order
- Credit Card/Debit Card (major brand)
- Driver Education Certificate
- Government Driver’s License
- Government ID Card (current)
- Illinois Driver’s License (current)
- Illinois ID Card (current)
- Medicare Card with suffix A, J, H, M or T
- Military Service Record (DD214)
- Mortgage or Installment Loan Documents
- Out-of-State Driver’s License/ID Card (current)
- Passport (valid U.S. or foreign)
- Social Security Card
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Forms – I-551 (Alien Registration Card); I-766 (Employment Authorization Card); I-94 (Arrival/Departure Record) with Valid Passport
- U.S. Military Driver’s License/ID Card
Acceptable major brand credit cards (for signature verification only) include American Express, Diners Club, Discover, Master Card and Visa.
Group B – Date of Birth
- Adoption Records
- Birth Certificate
- Court Order (Change of birth date)
- Certified Grade/High School/College/University Transcript
- Illinois Driver’s License (current)
- Illinois ID Card (current)
- Military Service Record (DD214)
- Naturalization Certificate
- Passport (valid with complete date of birth)
- Social Security Award Letter (primary beneficiary only)
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Forms – I-551 (Alien Registration Card); I-571 (Refugee Travel Documents); I-766 (Employment Authorization Card); I-797A (Notice of Action Status Change); I-94 (Arrival/Departure Record) with Valid Passport
- U.S. Military Driver’s License/ID Card
- U.S. Passport Card (valid with complete date of birth)
- U.S. Visa
Group B documents must contain the applicant’s full name and complete date of birth and must be verifiable. To be verifiable, it must be possible to contact the regulatory authority to confirm the authenticity of the document.
Birth Certificates must be original or certified by a Board of Health or Bureau of Vital Statistics within the U.S. or by the U.S. State Department, U.S. territories or Canada. A certified copy is a document produced by the issuing jurisdiction which has an embossed seal or an original stamp impression. Foreign passports and foreign birth certificates are accepted as proof if accompanied by any other item in Group B.
Group C – Social Security Number
- Illinois Driver’s License Record
- Illinois ID Card Record
- Military Service Record (DD214)
- Social Security Award Letter (primary beneficiary only)
- Social Security Card (issued by SSA)
- U.S. Military Driver’s License/ID Card
Group C documents must contain the applicant’s name and full Social Security Number. If using an Illinois driver’s license or ID record, the Social Security Number must have been previously verified with the SSA.
An applicant applying for a Temporary Visitor Driver’s License is not required to present documents from Group C. Instead, the applicant must submit a letter on SSA letterhead with each application, issued within 90 days prior to the date of application, verifying ineligibility for a Social Security number.
Group D – Residency (2 Document Required)
- Affidavit – Certificate of Residency
- Bank Statement (dated within 90 days prior to application)
- Cancelled Check (dated within 90 days prior to application)
- Certified Grade/High School/College/University Transcript
- Credit Report (issued by Experian, Equifax or TransUnion, dated within 12 months of application)
- Deed/Title, Mortgage, Rental/Lease agreement
- Insurance Policy (homeowner’s or renter’s)
- Letter on Official School Letterhead (dated within 90 days prior to application)
- Medical Claim or Statement of Benefits (from private insurance company or public (government) agency, dated within 90 day of application)
- Official mail received from a State, County, City or Village or a Federal Government agency (must include first and last name of applicant and complete current address), may include – Homestead Exemption Receipt; Illinois FOID Card; Jury Duty Notice (issued within 90 days of application); Selective Service Card; Social Security Annual Statement; Social Security Disability Insurance Statement; Supplemental Security Income Benefits Statement; Voter Registration Card
- Pay Stub or Electronic Deposit Receipt
- Pension or Retirement Statement
- Phone Book, produced by a phone book publisher
- Report Card from Grade/High School or College/University
- Tuition invoice/official mail from college or university, dated within the 12 months prior to application
- Vehicle Registration Card
- Utility Bill (electric, water, refuse, telephone land/cell, cable or gas, issued within 90 days of application)
Group D documents must contain the applicants full residence address. Documents in Groups A, B or C, that contain the full residence address also may be used for Group D.
One document from Group D is required for applicants under the age of 5 applying for an identification card.
Presenting a “Homeless Status Certification” for a no-fee Identification Card meets Group D requirements.
Unacceptable Documents
- Bond Receipt or Bail/Bond Card
- Business Card
- Check Cashing Card
- Club/Fraternal Membership Card
- College or University ID Card
- Commercially produced (non-State or unofficial) ID Card
- Fishing License
- HFS (Healthcare and Family Services) Card
- Handwritten ID/Employment Card
- Hunting License
- Instruction Permit/Receipt
- Insurance Card
- Library Card
- Personal Mail
- Temporary Driver’s License
- Traffic Citation (Arrest Ticket)
- Video Club Membership Card
- Wallet ID
- Unlicensed Financial Institution Loan Papers
800-252-8980 (toll-free in Illinois)
217-785-3000 (outside Illinois)