Hawaii's new REAL ID driver's licenses and state IDs are supposed to make travel easier. Instead, some residents are finding that the barcodes on freshly issued cards simply will not scan at airport security, rental kiosks and other spots that rely on barcode readers. The result has been awkward holdups at checkpoints, travelers scrambling for passports and clerks forced to key in information by hand. The City is offering to swap out affected cards at no charge for anyone who runs into the glitch.
DMV officials acknowledge that a limited number of cards rolled out with minor production irregularities or smudging. Those small flaws can make the PDF417 barcodes unreadable for certain laser scanners, which is what leads to failures at TSA checkpoints and elsewhere, as reported by Hawaii News Now. That report describes travelers who had to be waved through only after manual checks, or who switched to using passports just to get home. Industry sources in the same report said rental car companies and some retailers are also seeing scanning software hiccups with the new cards.
Where to get a free duplicate
Oahu residents whose cards refuse to scan can get duplicate credentials at the Kapalama Driver Licensing Center at 925 Dillingham Blvd., which handles renewals and duplicates, according to the City and County of Honolulu Department of Customer Services. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports that the City is replacing affected licenses and state IDs at no cost, that the DMV's vendor tests barcodes before mailing but cannot replicate every scanner in the field and that no form or appointment is required to receive a free replacement. Walk-ins are handled on a first-come, first-served basis during Kapalama's regular hours.
Why scanners are failing
Experts say the trouble appears to be a mix of minor production defects and differences in how software reads the new format, rather than one big hardware breakdown. Some scanners use parsing rules that do not yet account for Hawaii's updated REAL ID formatting. Industry release notes show vendors rolling out Hawaii-specific support in their scanning libraries, with Microblink offering one public example. Until those updates are fully in place, travelers can expect inconsistent results from one barcode reader to the next.
What travelers should do
If you have a trip coming up, bring your passport or another federally accepted ID, a backup approach recommended by travelers and officials in the Hawaii News Now report. For replacement details and current hours, check the City and County of Honolulu's driver licensing information or call the Kapalama center before you go. It is wise to allow extra time at the airport or rental counter if your card is brand new.
Bottom line, if you received a new Hawaii REAL ID card, test the barcode before you travel and pick up a free duplicate if it does not scan. The City is trading out problem cards while scanning vendors push software updates that should cut down on hiccups at airports, rental counters and other barcode reliant spots.
