TACOMA — Washington residents dish out a decent chunk of change to get a driver’s license. According to a state-by-state comparison from U.S. politics website Wisevoter, Washington drivers have to pay the most to renew or apply for their right to drive.
Over time, the cost of getting a driver’s license in Washington has increased. The News Tribune breaks down the cost of getting a driver’s license in Washington, why it’s become more expensive to get in recent years, and how a federal regulation will soon impact what drivers pay for their IDs.
Cost of WA driver’s license
In 2023, a standard driver’s license costs $9 a year to renew, or $54 for six years, according to the Washington Department of Licensing. Add in the $35 application fee for first-time license holders and this amount bumps up to $89.
The DOL is transitioning its licenses to a new renewal system. Soon, licenses will expire after either six or eight years instead of five, according to Christine Anthony, a communications manager with the licensing department. The yearly cost of a standard license will remain the same at $9.
Other ancillary costs, such as upgrading a license photo, increased from $10 to $20 in October.
Another state-issued driver’s license, the enhanced driver’s license, has also seen its price increase in the past few years.
Enhanced driver’s license
An enhanced driver’s license is a form of identification offered only in five states: Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont and Washington. This form of state-issued identification provides proof of citizenship and identity. EDLs also contain a radio frequency chip that allows border patrol officers to pull up someone’s information.
This form of ID has been offered in Washington since 2008. The DOL began providing this option to drivers to make it easier for them to cross into Canada, Anthony said.
Like standard licenses, EDLs have also experienced a price bump in recent years. Prior to October 2022, the enhanced state-issued IDs cost drivers $13 a year. But the DOL has since bumped it up to $16. For six years, the total cost is $96, or $131 including the application fee.
The department raised the price to help fund the Move Ahead Washington program, a $16.9 billion transportation package that aims to preserve the state’s transportation infrastructure, reduce carbon emissions and broaden options for safe and accessible transportation.
Real ID Act impact
For many Washingtonians, a standard driver’s license serves numerous purposes besides driving. It’s also a valid form of personal identification one can use to purchase alcohol. And if someone travels on a commercial flight, they use their standard license to pass through screening with the Transportation Safety Administration. But not for much longer.
Come 2025, Washington residents can no longer use their standard driver’s license as a form of ID to travel by air on domestic flights. The Real ID Act, a federal law passed by Congress in 2005 that requires states to meet a minimum security standard for identification cards, will prohibit Americans from using standard driver IDs to board federally regulated commercial aircraft and from entering certain federal facilities like military bases and nuclear power plants. The Washington Legislature assimilated the federal provision in 2017.
The act has been postponed for nearly two decades. It was supposed to go into effect in 2018 but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In December, the Department of Homeland Security once again extended the deadline for Americans to get their Real ID-verified driver’s license from May 2023 to May 2025.
As of February, only 21 percent of Washington-issued driver’s licenses are enhanced versions, according to data The News Tribune received from the DOL. It’s possible Real ID will prompt Washington drivers to apply for enhanced licenses, which TSA accepts as a valid form of identification. The cost to upgrade a standard license to an EDL is $7 per year for the remaining time on one’s license.
After the May 2025 deadline, TSA will only accept EDLs and these other credentials:
- Permanent Resident Card (Green Card)
- U.S. Military ID
- U.S. Passport
- U.S. Passport Card
- Foreign Passport
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Employment Authorization Card (I-766)
- Federally recognized, tribal-issued photo ID
- Enhanced Identification Card (EID)
Aside from an EDL, other states provide residents the option to upgrade their standard license to a Real ID driver’s license, often at a lower cost. In New York and Michigan, for instance, the cost to convert to a Real ID license is either less expensive or free in certain conditions compared to applying for an EDL. Washington’s Department of Licensing is treating its EDL as the state’s version of a Real ID license, Anthony said.
“Since the EDL requires proof of citizenship, we proposed to the Department of Homeland Security that it be considered our REAL ID compliant document,” Anthony said to The News Tribune via email. “After many years, they agreed it would comply with the requirements of the 2005 REAL ID Act.”
People who want to stick with a standard license can still use a passport to fly commercially and enter buildings operated by federal agencies. But as of 2021, only around 37 percent of Americans possess a non-expired passport, according to a poll conducted by data company YouGov America. The cost to apply for or renew a valid U.S. passport book for citizens age 16 and older is $130.
