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Driving privilege card is not solely for illegals
This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2005, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Undocumented residents won't be the only ones who must apply for a state-issued "driving privilege card" instead of a regular Utah driver license.

Under House Bill 223 that was signed into law Thursday by Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., people who provide a U.S.-issued document such as a visa that allows them to legally live in the United States, but who don't qualify for a Social Security number or a temporary tax identification number, also will be eligible only for a driving card starting July 1.

Senate Bill 227, signed into law by Huntsman on Tuesday, stopped the state from issuing driver licenses or identification cards to undocumented residents without a Social Security number. Instead, it allows them to apply for the driving privilege card. On Wednesday, 65 people were issued a driving card, and 74 received one Thursday, said Lt. Doug McCleve, state Department of Public Safety spokesman.

Under HB223, certain legal residents also will only be able to obtain a driving card. The difference between undocumented and documented residents getting a driving card is that undocumented residents will have to renew it each year, said McCleve. Driving cards for documented residents will expire in five years or when their U.S. documentation expires, whichever date comes first.

Documented residents eligible for the driving card include people in college, the military or legally working in Utah, McCleve said. But, he said, the state's 20 driver license centers are not expecting long lines of documented residents applying for a driving card.

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