The Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge, a new addition to the D.C. skyline, will soon adorn the District’s driver’s license and ID cards. D.C.’s official bird, the wood thrush, joins cherry blossoms, which were on the last generation of the cards.
The District Department of Motor Vehicles unveiled the design Wednesday and the new version will be available starting July 17.
The DMV is switching to polycarbonate cards made by the Thales Group which has a new “Multiple Laser Image” feature that will make it harder for counterfeiters to replicate.
The lower right corner will show a photo of the cardholder and it will change to their birthday when tilted. That corner will also feature an outline of the District and the flag that will change to “DC” when tilted.
“We wanted to ensure that our DC credentials are one of the most secure in the nation,” DMV Director Gabriel Robinson said in a statement. “Even while expanding design options, we are strengthening security.”
“USA” was added directly next to Washington, DC on the top left, making sure that TSA agents, bouncers, and other security gatekeepers know the District is indeed part of the United States. The cards once read “District of Columbia,” which confused some. The cards were changed to read “Washington, DC” in 2017.
One thing removed from the ID: weight. Sex, height, and eye color remain. The American Association of Motor Vehicles Administrators, which lays out best practices for ID cards and driver’s licenses, lists weight as “optional” in its card design guidelines.
The DMV issues more than 623,000 driver’s licenses and identification credentials annually.
Virginia redesigned its licenses in April.
Here’s a look at D.C.’s previous design. Also, don’t miss our story from last year about D.C.’s hunkiest sample ID photo.

Jordan Pascale