General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Come 2018, driver licenses from nine states wont be accepted as IDs at the airport [View all]Afromania
(2,768 posts)I recommend that people everywhere get as many forms of ID as they can because the Republicans insist on being ill. On the surface of things I don't exactly disagree with the need for national picture ID's. However, being something new there should be more of an allowance of time, and perhaps an federal outlay of money, for people to get the supporting ID's required to get this federal ID.
While the US Passport ID "could" be as little as 30$. It's completely dependent on you already having the corresponding walk up documents. Let's be honest, most people are broke or pretty close to it in this country and digging up the time and money to gather up all of the documents is an undertaking. At each stage of the ID process you are going to require something that either costs money to replace or a document that requires an outlay of money to get.
Birth Certificate = Varies (could just be info on who your parents were, where you were born, etc) or a picture ID, Fee depending on state
Social Security Card = Birth Certificate (cost depends on place of birth), U.S. Government Picture ID(license, state ID , Passport)
Drivers License = Birth Certificate, Social Security Card or a combination of other stuff that may require you have the Birth Certificate or Social Security card, Fee's associated with getting a drivers license
Passport = Birth Certificate(or other early life document), Drivers License (55$-in person 30$-online limited to a few states)
I've helped a few of my older relatives get replacements for lost birth certificates. The costs have been as little as 9$ and as much as 45$. The costs are then further compounded by an individuals ability to travel to the place where they were born. Some places have taken the filing process online, but the vast majority of places still require an in person visit. From there you are outlaying varying amounts of money at each step of the process making the final total for a Passport something considerably more than 30$. From there it becomes even more complicated with the Social Security Card, Drivers License, and Passport requiring at least two of the other forms of ID.
With the exception of the Social Security Card everything else is going to cost something. Each of the ID's requires you have one, or more, of the others. There may be certain situations where the process catch-22 its' self. What happens when you need a replacement Birth Certificate from a place that insists on a drivers license, or other picture ID with signature, as proof; and you can't get the drivers license without the Birth Certificate. This push for federal ID's needs to be streamlined somehow, and free.