Hawaii Unveils New, More Secure Driver’s License and State ID

Hawaii’s rolling out a new driver’s license and state ID design, the first update to either credential since 2009. The card looks different, but the real story is what’s built into it.

What’s New with Hawaii Driver’s Licenses?

The biggest change is the replacement of the traditional cardstock with 100% polycarbonate, a more durable tamper-resistant material. 

The Department of Customer Services Director Kim Hashiro said the redesign is about keeping pace with security technology and closing gaps that make older cards easier to fake.

The update covers all 15 license and identification card types issued statewide, with roughly 300,000 cards produced each year. Officials say the result puts Hawaii’s credentials among the most secure in the country.

Security Features You Can See and Feel

• Laser-engraved photo and personal data. The new process fuses the photo and information into the polycarbonate instead of on top of the card. The card is now a single, solid piece so accessing any data or photos would damage it.
• Black-and-white portrait. Like several other recent state redesigns, Hawaii moved to a laser-engraved monochrome photo for a sharper, more verifiable image.
• Raised tactile text. Personal data is printed with a raised texture you can feel, making it much harder to alter or duplicate.
• Translucent window. A uniquely shaped cut in the card exposes the polycarbonate structure, which provides verifiers with another physical checkpoint against counterfeits.
• Animated window image. A secondary image area shifts or appears to roll when the card is tilted at different angles, similar to the animated security features showing up on other next-gen state IDs.

REAL ID compliance is marked with the standard gold star and cards issued to people under 21 use a vertical layout with an “Under 21 Until” callout.

Hawaii uses centralized printing, so cards are produced and mailed from one secure facility rather than printed on-site at DMV counters. This fends off fraud paths like stolen blank card stock or a rogue employee printing duplicates.

Familiar Design, New Technology

The new ID kept its signature look and still features the rainbow, Hawaiian flag, and island chain.

The back keeps the humuhumunukunukuāpuaʻa, the state fish, alongside a coral reef design. Several of these familiar elements now double as security features.

Hawaii put together ashort explainer video walking through the new design.

What Hawaii Residents Need to Know

Current license and IDs work fine until the printed expiration date. If that date falls within the next six months, renewal automatically gets you the new card. If residents want the new card sooner, they can request a duplicate online for $7.

Production begins later this year. Once a new card is processed, it arrives by mail in three to four weeks.

What to Know if Your Business Checks IDs

Existing ID scanners will read Hawaii’s updated credentials without any changes on the business owner’s  end.

Hawaii joins Nebraska, Oklahoma, Montana, South Carolina, and Texas in rolling out more secure, harder-to-fake credentials this year.

To renew or manage your license, visit Alohaq.org.