Ok, this is travel related as in your ID to show to get on the plane to travel.
My drivers license was going to expire in a couple of weeks on my birthday so I was going to need to get it renewed. TN just started offering their "Real ID" (I have no idea what other states refer to it as but its the ID that will let you travel on aircraft after October 2020), so I figured when I renewed my license I would get the Real ID and gathered all my documentation. I get to the office hand over my DL, passport, W2, and two more utility bills all to prove who I was. (If I remember right I had to provide less documentation for pre-check) The clerk looks at it all, says great, attaches it to a form that I need to sit down to complete. After filling that out, which only consisted of my name, address and DOB (which were on all the documentation attached
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I then proceed the next clerk who tells me I can't get the real ID because and here's the kicker...my passport has "First Name, Maiden Name, Last Name", my DL has "First Name, Middle Name, Maiden Name, Last Name". She said since they didn't read identically I couldn't get the real ID. I asked why the first clerk didn't mention this and she of course, shrugged. I asked what did I to provide to get the ID and she tells me a copy of my birth certificate and a copy of my marriage license. I'm not sure what that will show as none of them have first, middle, maiden and last names on them. Maybe it would show the progression?? Anyway I asked if I could still renew my license so it wouldn't be a whole waste of time and she say "you want to". The smart A** in me wanted to shoot back "well since it expires in less than two weeks its probably a good idea". But I just said yes. We took the picture and she says "are you sure you don't want to smile" like 3 times to me. After saying no every time on the last one I told her "no, every time I look at that picture I'll think of you". Yes, I could only hold it in for so long.
Anyway, the real point of this story is for those who recently got married or are getting married soon, take this into consideration when switching your names on documents and accounts. I kinda wished I just had never changed anything and had a legal name and just used my husbands last name in social settings. I might try to get the ID again sometime in the future but anchor trip to the DMV is not in my near future. Until then I'll just used my passport as ID when traveling.
Then I was thinking about it and why does the state of TN essentially have 2 DL's? One that lets you drive and one that lets you get into a federal building? Do other states do this or did they incorporate the ID into one license?
