Honolulu Switches Temporary Driver's Licenses and IDs to Paper Printouts Starting Oct. 19
Honolulu is a city in Honolulu County, Hawaii (a consolidated city-county). The City and County of Honolulu's Department of Customer Services (CSD) announced on October 16 that, starting Monday, October 19, 2026, all city DMV locations will begin issuing black-and-white printouts on standard 8.5-by-11-inch white paper as temporary driver's licenses and temporary state identification cards, instead of the small-format paper temporary cards used until now. The department began a staggered rollout of the new temporary document this week.
The city said the change is part of a major modernization update to Hawaiʻi's card production system and results from the national DMV association's (AAMVA) 2025 DL/ID Card Design Standard, which requires temporary IDs to be "receipt-like" and requires that an expired credential be returned to the customer after it is defaced. A hole will be punched in the existing plastic card, and it will be returned to the customer along with the temporary document; both items should be carried until the new plastic card arrives in the mail, which is processed, printed and mailed to the resident's home within five weeks.
"While the temporary paper printout is a visual change, it represents a major step forward in making our DMV operations faster, more secure, and far more efficient," said Department of Customer Services Director Kim Hashiro, whose responsibilities include driver licensing centers and satellite city halls. The printout features the official state seal alongside a verification stamp, and includes a QR code linking to the online tracking system at mydmv.hnl.info, where residents can monitor the production status of their permanent card.
The city noted that the temporary paper license is not accepted by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for airport security or federal identification, the same as with the previous format. Anyone traveling while waiting for a permanent card must carry an alternative approved ID, such as a valid U.S. passport. Residents can renew a license up to six months before it expires and are encouraged to schedule a DMV appointment online at alohaq.org. More information is available at honolulu.gov/csd.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：Honolulu 市政厅 Honolulu Hale 的塔楼。Joel Bradshaw 摄，公共领域，经维基共享资源。Image: The tower of Honolulu Hale, Honolulu's city hall. Photo by Joel Bradshaw, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
