Question: My mother is 92, has dementia and lives in a care home. Her state ID expires in July. It is her only picture ID. How can I renew it, since she cannot leave the home to do it herself?
Answer: The city has a process for this, which requires that you bring in a doctor’s note and a personal affidavit attesting that you are acting on behalf of an incapacitated or incompetent individual. You also must provide everything your mom would if she visited the office herself, including her fingerprints, photograph and original personal documents.
Here is the process, according to the city’s Department of Customer Services:
The person overseeing the incapacitated or incompetent person’s affairs (legal guardian or custodian, which in this case seems to be you) goes to the Kapalama Hale Driver Licensing Center at 925 Dillingham Boulevard, Room #101, and presents medical certification that the state ID applicant cannot appear in person. This can be a letter from your mom’s doctor.
The guardian/custodian also must complete and present an affidavit affirming the relationship with the applicant. The affidavit must be signed in the presence of city driver’s licensing employee, or notarized if filled out in advance. Find a fillable PDF of the affidavit form at 808ne.ws/affidavit.
Once you (guardian/custodian) have submitted the medical certification and the personal affidavit, you will receive a packet containing a state ID card application, fingerprint form, fingerprint ink pad and a USB flash drive.
You will have to fill out the application, including signing the form on your mom’s behalf; take fingerprints of her right thumb, right index finger and left index finger; and take two digital photos showing her full face. You’ll transfer the digital photos to the USB flash drive.
Once you have done all that, submit the completed application; original documents proving your mom’s legal name, Social Security number, date of birth, legal presence in the U.S. and principal Hawaii residency (two documents); fingerprint form, ink pad and USB flash drive to the Kapalama Hale licensing office, along with payment. The fee for a state ID is $40.
The ink pad and USB flash drive must be returned undamaged.
To make an appointment at Kapalama Hale, go to honolulu.gov/license and click on “Appointments,” then “Make Appointment,” then “Kapalama Driver License & State ID” (a green bar). Next click on the blue bar that lists “State ID Services.” From there, follow directions to reserve a date and time; you’ll need a text-capable mobile phone to do so.
For a list of original documents acceptable for Real ID verification purposes, go to 808ne.ws/stateid. (This site should be useful to other readers too, because, “What documents do I bring to get a state ID?” is a perennial Kokua Line question).
Auwe
Aloha! Why can’t driver’s license renewal appointment confirmations also be sent out on email? Every financial organization I do business with gives the option of mobile phone or email when sending codes for access to their websites, so it must not be that hard to do. — Mahalo, Charlie
Mahalo
The appointment system for city transactions worked great for me. I went Wednesday morning to the Fort Street Satellite City Hall to renew my driver license. As I was walking downtown, I received two text reminders of my appointment. My name was called at exactly the time of the appointment and the license was renewed in eight minutes. Six more minutes in the vehicle registration line took care of my other business. Counter service people Kelsey and Sharleen were super courteous and efficient. Mahalo! — J.M., Kailua
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.
