Q: Hello Honk. My wife was eager to get a Real ID back in May when the push was on to get one. The only Real ID she could get was on an ID card. She will be renewing her driver’s license in October and would like to get the Real ID transferred to her license. You did a column back in 2023, I believe, and from what I recall, the Department of Motor Vehicles can just cancel the one Real ID and move it over, in this case to the driver’s license.
– Sandy Wood, Tustin
A: Good memory, Sandy — Honk likely helped you out with his perfect prose back in ’23.
Still, he isn’t a lazy fellow, so he went back to the DMV to ensure nothing has changed.
Your better half should fill out an application, which can be accomplished online, when the time comes. To cut down on the wait time at a DMV office, Ronald Ongtoaboc, a spokesman for the agency, recommends making an appointment.
The state-issued ID card will be canceled, so the Real ID can move onto the license.
Here is some good news:
“If a person already has a California Real ID, they do not need to present their identity and residency documents again,” Ongtoaboc said in an email. “(But) if they have an out-of-state Real ID and want to get a California Real ID, they will need to present their identity and residency documents. An out-of-state Real ID does not transfer to California (and vice versa).”
Sandy, if your wife would like another state-issued ID, albeit without the Real ID, in addition to the Real ID driver’s license she can get one.
Q: Will new federal regulations on California emission standards allow Japanese domestic-market vehicles registered in other states to be eligible for registration in California? I am interested in a 2000 Toyota Granvia. The engine comes in four- or six-cylinder models, which are used by the 4Runner. They are legal in Washington and in Oregon. Basically, what I want to know is if federal guidelines supersede California’s guidelines and make it possible to bring such a vehicle already registered elsewhere into California without California’s onerous requirements?
– Robert Raffel, Dana Point
A: No.
California laws can vary, depending on the model year and other factors.
But under a state law that has been in place for decades, vehicles with model year 1968 or later that were not made to meet United States standards must be modified to meet California emissions regulations, said John Swanton, a spokesman for the California Air Resources Board.
And they must pass a test given by a Santa Ana firm that is state-certified. (A second firm has applied for the special status.)
For that route, a car must be at least 2 years old, such as the one you are eyeing, Robert.
There are rare exceptions for vehicles modified under federal requirements. For info, ask the Air Resources Board at helpline@arb.ca.gov.
HONKIN’ FACT: To keep him in the family’s gold-leaf business, Allen Swift‘s father offered him a car of his choosing for his 26th birthday. He picked a new 1928 Rolls-Royce Phantom I. By 2003, his Rolls had clocked an estimated 172,000 miles. Just before he died in 2005, at age 102, the Connecticut resident gave $1 million to the Springfield Museums in Massachusetts to buy a building that now houses, among other cars, another Swift gift he donated that year after owning it for 77 years — his Rolls. (Source: Springfield Museums)To ask Honk questions, reach him at honk@ocregister.com. He only answers those that are published. To see Honk online: ocregister.com/tag/honk. Twitter: @OCRegisterHonk