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Question: Did they ever find out why people aren’t receiving their licenses? What number are we supposed to call? I didn’t pay attention at the time, but now it’s my license that is missing and my temporary is expiring.
Answer: Oahu residents who applied using their current address and haven’t received their permanent Hawaii driver’s license or state ID in the mail after six weeks should call 768-9128. This is a recorded line. Leave a brief, clear message that includes your name, address and phone number. Someone will look into the problem and call you back.
As to your first question, while most applicants receive their licenses or IDs on schedule, hundreds of people a month do not, as we reported in August (808ne.ws/816kline). The main reason is that the plain white envelope containing the card has been returned to the city, deemed undeliverable by the U.S. Postal System.
There are various reasons why this happens, including “incomplete, illegible or incorrect address; addressee not at address (moved to a new address); missing postage, unclaimed mail, etc.,” said Duke Gonzales, a spokesman for the USPS in Honolulu.
The address style on the license or ID (and therefore the mailing envelope) matters. Sorting of this type of mail is highly automated; the computer might reject a street name written in a way that an Oahu-based postal employee would recognize.
Applicants should follow USPS addressing guidelines when they fill out the driver’s license or state ID form, and ensure that the DMV clerk does the same when inputting the data. Check your temporary license before leaving the city office.
Gonzales provided common rules for addresses, with examples:
>> Punctuation: Hyphens in the address range are significant and should be used. Correct: 94-1122 Aloha Rd. Incorrect: 94 1122 Aloha Rd. Hyphens also should be used in the ZIP+4 code. Hyphens in the street or city name, however, are normally not significant and may be replaced with a space. Other punctuation, such as periods and commas, should be omitted in the delivery address block.
>> Street names: While address suffixes such as “Street’ and “Road” can be abbreviated, actual street names must be spelled out completely. Address suffixes should conform with standard abbreviations, such as Rd, St, Ave, Blvd, Cir, Hwy. Correct: 150 Lunalilo Home Rd. Incorrect: 150 Lunalilo Hm Rd.
>> Secondary address unit designators: The preferred location for secondary address designators, such as apartment or suite, is at the end of the delivery address line. The pound sign (#) should not be used if the precise designation is known. When a secondary address designator is used, there must be a space between the designator and the number. Correct: Apt 150 or # 150. Incorrect: #150, Apt150.
>> As we reported, the city has requested Return Service for mailed driver’s licenses and state IDs (as required for identity credentials, according to the city), which means this mail won’t be forwarded, even if the recipient has a forwarding request on file with the postal service. The same is true if someone in the household retrieves the envelope from the mailbox, writes “forward” on it and puts it back in the mailbox. The envelope will be returned to the city. An applicant who knows they will no longer be at an address when the license arrives should arrange for someone else in the household to mail it to them, in a separate envelope. People who did not use a current address when they applied for their license or ID, and never received it, must apply for a duplicate to correct the address, according to the city.
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
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