COLUMBUS - Due to a recent change in Puerto Rico law, the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles will no longer accept certified copies of Puerto Rico birth certificates as proof of identity, effective immediately.
Legislation approved by the Puerto Rico Legislative Assembly and signed by Puerto Rico Governor Luis Fortuño became effective in January invalidating all copies of certified Puerto Rico birth certificates issued before July 1, 2010 and prohibiting the retention of certified birth certificates by public and private entities.
This Ohio BMV policy change impacts only new issuances to those seeking to obtain driver licenses or identification cards. The new law has prompted several states to make or consider changes in lists of acceptable documents for the issuance of driver licenses or identification cards.
In order to obtain an Ohio Driver License or Identification Card, applicants using a Puerto Rico birth certificate will need to provide additional documents to prove their identify. A list of acceptable primary and secondary documents can be found at
http://bmv.ohio.gov/acceptable_id_documents.stm.
This change in Puerto Rico’s law will require all Puerto Rican-born citizens living in the United States to request a new certified copy of their birth certificate. The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Department of Health will issue new certified birth certificates to Puerto Rican-born citizens upon request. For more information, visit the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Department of Health Web site at www.salud.gov.pr.
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