Identification and Drivers Licenses
From Reentry
Contents |
Michigan ID Website
Getting a Michigan ID Card: Tips and Tools for Helping Organizations
- Comprehensive website with information and links on obtaining an ID in Michigan. Particularly useful in cases where obtaining ID is complicated by the inability to obtain the required records.
Getting a Michigan State ID Card: Rules, Procedures and Helpful Hints
- Printable booklet with information from the Michigan ID website.
- The Michigan Secretary of State website provides information on getting and renewing driver's licenses and state IDs.
Statutes
- Statute establishing conduct that results in license suspensions.
- Statute requiring mandatory license suspensions if convicted of certain drug offenses.
Materials from the Secretary of State on Obtaining ID and Driver's Licenses
Considerations for Driving in Michigan after Incarceration
- Information prepared by the Secretary of State which provides an overview of driving and identification issues facing prisoners upon release.
- This document details all of the items required to obtain a Michigan driver's license or personal identification card. Note that in addition to the documents listed on the website, the Department of State will accept, as proof of residency, a Department of Corrections' parole certificate/order for up to 30 days from the release date on the certificate/order.
- This MOU explains that DOS offices should accept DOC-issued prisoner ID as one form of ID when obtaining state ID or a driver's license. Applicants must still meet all other requirements to get ID.
Michigan Department of State: Replacing a Lost License
- Explains how to obtain a license if one is lost.
- Links to information about driver responsibility fees. Nonpayment of these fees can result in loss of a driver's license.
Obtaining Birth Certificates and Other Vital Records
Michigan Department of Community Health Vital Records
- Information on obtaining birth, death, marriage and divorce records for Michigan.
Letter from DHS Regarding Access to Birth Records
- Explains the procedure that the Department of Human Services Can Use in Obtaining Birth Record Information.
Memorandum of Understanding between Department of Corrections and Social Security Administration
- Explains how inmates can obtain social security cards prior to release.
Out of State Records
National Center for Health Statistics
- This site contains information on how to get birth, marriage and divorce records around the country. You must know the state where the event occurred, and then contact the listed agency for that state.
Where to Write for Vital Records
- A state-by-state list of agencies providing vital records.
You can also use a commercial service, although that will generally cost more. One such fee-based service is: VitalChek
Obtaining Social Security Cards
- For information on applying for a social security number, click here.
- Contains information for federal inmates on getting replacement social security cards.
Passports
If you are on parole, you need to check with your parole office regarding eligibility for international travel. If allowed, you must get a letter from your parole officer giving permission for passport issuance for international travel. This letter must be on county letterhead and should be submitted with your passport application.
If you are no longer on parole, you just need to meet standard passport guidelines.
Other countries may have rules on allowing convicted felons to enter those countries, you should check with that country before making travel plans.
Child Support Payments and Getting a U.S. Passport
- If you owe more than $2,500 in back child support, you may not be eligible for a passport.
Policy
Ex-Offender Identification Issues in Michigan
- Explains the problems created when prisoners are released without identification.
Other Pages on Public Benefits