New Design for Driver Licenses and ID Cards Expands Throughout Entire State of Ohio

Beginning in April 2009, the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles began to issue a new format for state driver licenses and identification cards on a pilot basis in Cleveland, Columbus, and Toledo. The BMV has now completed the installation and implementation of equipment required to produce the new cards on a statewide basis, which means they will now start surfacing in the larger Ohio population.

The new format for the driver licenses and ID cards are significantly different in appearance, and include additional security features not found in the old cards.

New features and changes include:

• The license has been changed to a salmon color and the design now includes the addition of a state of Ohio outline logo which will indicate the type of card (ie: driver license; commercial driver license; temporary instruction permit and/or identification card).
• The main photo will now appear in the top left-hand corner and the ghost image will appear on the right side of the card.
• The individual's information lines are now numbered to assist law enforcement.
• There is no longer a "table of contents" on the back of the DL or ID with the entire list of driving restrictions; only restrictions applying to the individual are listed and will be abbreviated. If the individual has no driving restrictions, no restrictions will be listed on the back of the DL. This change occurred in November 2008 as part of an initial round of changes.
• The magnetic strip will now identify males or females with a designation of 1 or 2 respectively.

If you have one of the old format licenses or ID cards, it is still valid and you do not have to rush out and get a new one. They will be valid until the designated expiration date on your card.

Let us know what you think of the new design in comments.