And yes, I agree. On multiple occasions in my adult life, I've "proved" my citizenship under threat of perjury, but that is only to say: I've made a statement on a form with my signature on it. My word alone was ~enough.
But to get a Real ID, my word alone isn't adequate: I have to prove my citizenship by presenting documentation.
In my home state of Ohio, that proof requires me to show up at the BMV and provide documentation[1] showing five different elements:
1 - Full Legal Name
2 - Date of Birth
3 - Legal Presence in US
4 - Social Security Number;
5 - Ohio Street Address
...and most of this is easy-enough.
But element 3, legal presence, is a bit tougher. There's a number of documents that are accepted, but only one of them is applicable to a plain-Jane native-born-Ohioan who does not have a passport.
That document is an original birth certificate, or a certified copy of one.
I don't have that. I have a copy, but it's just a copy. It is a copy that was made by the city's Health Department and it is on the fancy green cardstock they use, but it's still just a copy and this just-a-copy is not a certified copy. (I know this, because when I got that copy decades ago to join the military, they asked if I wanted a certified copy at extra expense and I said "No." This not-certified copy that I have was plenty good-enough to enlist, serve, and get paid in the US Armed Forces -- but it's not good enough for a Real ID. My original DD214 is also not good enough.)
Accordingly, I'll have to make a trip to my hometown and again pay them some money for a copy, with some extra money on top for whatever it is that it means for that copy to be "certified."
And then, I'll be able to go to the BMV and pay them more money too, and get a new ID mailed to me eventually that will re-enable me to fly on domestic commercial flights without fuckery.
(It's all rather amazing to me.)
[1]: https://dam.assets.ohio.gov/image/upload/publicsafety.ohio.g...
Sorry for the late reply.
You're absolutely right. As I said, that wasn't a "gotcha", but rather an acknowledgement that "proving" legal status to the Federal government, while gamed by those without such status, still carries criminal penalties if you're caught lying. And the same is true for RealID as well.
>But element 3, legal presence, is a bit tougher. There's a number of documents that are accepted, but only one of them is applicable to a plain-Jane native-born-Ohioan who does not have a passport.
>That document is an original birth certificate, or a certified copy of one.
A fair point. Weirdly, I had my original birth certificate for many years but it disintegrated. So when I needed it get a RealID (although I already have a passport which I also renewed around the same time) I was able to go online to the County Clerk in New York County, New York (better known as Manhattan) and get a certified copy of my birth certificate for a nominal fee (I'd note that a third-party fulfilled the order for a certified copy, with an additional credit card usage fee).
Which made things much easier as I was concerned I'd need to go to the County Clerk's at least once, possibly more to obtain a certified copy.
Not sure if Ohio County Clerks will do the same. If not, that sucks.
In any case, while it's more than mostly security theater, it wasn't (especially given that I needed a new driver's license anyway) all that big a deal for me. That could be radically different (and more difficult) for others, both those from other counties and who may not have been (mostly much older folks) included in registered births.
So yeah, it's basically yanking our chains for no good reason other than Congress posturing that they're "tough" on terrorism and co-opting the states to do all the hard work. Sigh.
Unless you're really young (under 16 or so) and/or never had a job that paid wages, you've "proved" your citizenship (well, more specifically your right to work in the US which, in your case, adds up to the same thing) by filling out an IRS W9 form[0], which is required for any jobs which pays wages (whether that be hourly wages or a straight salary) by certifying -- under penalty of perjury if you lie -- that you're either a citizen or otherwise allowed to work in the US.[1]
I'm guessing you've "proven" your citizenship (or at least your legal presence/right to work in the US) at least once and likely (depending on how many employers you've had) more often.[3]
[0] https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw9.pdf
[1] No, this isn't specifically a test of citizenship, especially since non-citizen legal residents are also eligible to obtain RealID documents[2].
[2] https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dmv/driver-services/real-id/real...
[3] Please note that I'm absolutely not playing "gotcha" here. Rather, I'm pointing out that although we don't have Federal ID cards (although a passport certainly is that, and you Taxpayer ID Number -- usually your Social Security number -- are, in fact, Federal IDs) and RealID isn't a "Federal" ID. It's an "enhanced" (i.e., specific and often additional information specified by the Federal government is required to be submitted to your state of residence's licensing authority (usually the state Department of Motor Vehicles). As such, it's not actually a Federal ID, but a state ID with standardized requirements for verification across the US.