Who is eligible for the CAL-ID program?

Under the expanded CAL-ID program, you are eligible for a California state ID if:

    You have a set release date, AND that date is 120-210 days (approximately 4-7 months) away;
    You previously had a California state ID or California driver license;
    Your previous California state ID or driver license was issued in the past 10 years;
    You don’t owe any DMV fees for your previous California state ID or driver license;
    You have a photo on file with the DMV that is no more than 10 years old;
    You don’t have any active felony holds, warrants, or detainers that could cause you to go back to prison or jail after your release;
    You don’t have an active Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) hold that would cause you to be deported after your release;
    You can provide an address where you will live after your release (note: this is the address that will be printed on the California state ID card, not your prison address); AND
    You provide the following information, and the DMV can make sure it’s true:
    True full name;
    Date of birth;
    Valid Social Security Number (SSN);
    Legal presence (legal immigration status) in the United States
    Note: In case you don’t know some of this information, CDCR should have it on file.[66]

REMEMBER: Even if you are not eligible for the CAL-ID program, you can still apply for a California state ID through the normal process after you are released. Below, learn how to apply for a California state ID once you’re out.

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  1. 66

    Cal. Penal Code § 3007.05; California Identification (CAL-ID) Card Program, Cal. Dep’t of Corr. & Rehab., http://www.cdcr.ca.gov/rehabilitation/cal-id.html; Telephone call with Kris Applegate, CDCR Div. of Rehabilitative Programs (Jan. 7, 2015) (confirming that expanded Cal-ID program does not change eligibility or operational criteria, but simply expands programs to additional facilities and codifies current DMV eligibility practices); Telephone call with Nikita Singh, CDCR Div. of Rehabilitative Programs (Jan. 7, 2015)