Governor David A. Paterson today announced that the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) will begin issuing the new Enhanced Driver License (EDL) statewide on September 16, 2008. New York State and the Federal Department of Homeland Security reached an agreement in late May approving the business plan for the State to issue the new document.

The new EDL is expected to immensely benefit the Upstate economy by expediting land and sea border crossings. Currently, 468,750 New York State jobs are supported by Canada-US trade. In 2006, the US-Canada merchandise trade was valued at $489 billion. Recent statistics show that Canadians made 2.5 million visits to New York State spending $679 million and New York residents made 1.7 million visits to Canada, spending $561 million. With New York as well as the provinces of Quebec and Ontario all offering EDLs, traveling across all 17 shared New York/Canada land borders, and in particular across five of the nation’s busiest 39 border crossings, will be improved.

“The Enhanced Driver License is a major step forward for all New Yorkers who travel in North America and the Caribbean,” said Governor Paterson. “This new travel document will improve our security and provide a real boost for the economy, especially for those Upstate communities that border Canada. I congratulate the Department of Motor Vehicles for its work in developing and expeditiously making the Enhanced Driver License available to the public.”

The EDL was developed by DMV to meet the requirements of the federal Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), which is a result of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, requiring all travelers to present a passport or other document that denotes identity and citizenship when entering the U.S. The EDL can be used for land and sea border crossings in Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean. Beginning June 1, 2009, only a handful of documents will be acceptable for border crossing, and the New York State EDL will be one of them.

New York’s EDL will provide New Yorkers with a lower-cost and more convenient alternative to a U.S. Passport for land and sea border crossings within the Western Hemisphere. The EDL can be readily obtained by applying at local DMV offices. Since it is a driver license, it will be easier to carry than a passport, making it especially convenient for those who make frequent or unplanned crossings. The EDL will be valid for up to eight years, the same period as a current drivers license. The new licenses will be clearly distinguishable as a limited use international travel document by the added features of a U.S. flag on the front and the machine readable text on the reverse, both identifying it is an “enhanced” driver license.

DMV Commissioner David J. Swarts said: “The new federal mandate for border crossing requires a passport or other federally recognized documents such as an EDL. By expediting cross-border travel, New York’s EDL will help ensure that the Upstate economy does not suffer from the federal mandate. The DMV is pleased to make the EDL available to our customers.”

Michael Balboni, Governor Paterson’s Deputy Secretary for Public Safety, said: “The Enhanced Driver Licence program achieves the appropriate balance between security and the economy. In partnership with Canada, the EDL will permit the safe flow of people across our mutual border. In doing so, New York is recognizing its vital relationship with Quebec and Ontario, while implementing real steps to mitigate a vulnerability cited by the 9/11 Commission report. New York was one of the first states in the nation to adopt this program and Governor Paterson should be congratulated for his leadership.”

To get an EDL, New Yorkers will be required to visit a DMV office to provide verifiable proofs of identity and citizenship. In addition to the current requirements for proof of identity, motorists will be required to present proof of U.S. citizenship and also state residency. A list of validation documentation can be found on the DMV website at www.nysdmv.com/edl.htm. The verification of the documents will support the DMV’s core principle of one driver, one license. Each EDL will have various new security features within the document that will help to deter counterfeiting.

The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative-compliant EDL will cost $30 more than a current state driver license, but will cost less than a passport. For most motorists, an eight year EDL will cost $80, and will be an identity document, a cross border travel document, and a drivers license. When compared to a passport that costs $100 (excluding photos), but does not confer driving privileges, the EDL is not only convenient, but a bargain as well.

The DMV anticipates that it will take approximately two weeks from the date a motorist presents an application and required proofs for an applicant to receive an EDL, the same amount of time it takes to receive a current New York State photo license or non-driver identification document.

(YWN Desk)