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Oakland County Clerk/ Register of Deeds Lisa Brown is hosting Michigan Department of State personnel on Thursday May 1 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Oakland County Board of Commissioners Auditorium to co-locate services in advance of the federal May 7 REAL ID deadline. Vital documents required to upgrade a driver’s license or state-issued ID to REAL ID are among those provided every day by the County Clerk’s Office.
“Accessibility to services has always been a priority of mine. Partnering with the Department of State on May 1st creates a ‘one-stop shop’ for those still in need of attaining a REAL ID,” said Lisa Brown, Oakland County Clerk/Register of Deeds. “They can purchase vital and court records from my office and then simply take them down the hall to apply for a REAL ID.”
Beginning May 7, 2025, federal law will require a REAL ID-compliant document to fly within the United States and enter certain federal facilities. A U.S. Passport is also considered REAL ID compliant.
Michigan driver’s licenses and IDs are REAL ID compliant if they are marked by a star in the upper right corner – either a star within a gold shape of Michigan or a star in a gold circle, depending on the license design. Michigan also offers enhanced driver’s licenses and IDs, which are REAL ID-compliant and can be used to cross the border into the United States from Canada, Mexico, or the Caribbean by land or sea. Enhanced driver’s licenses and IDs have a U.S. flag icon on the front.
Upgrading a standard license or ID to a REAL ID is free if done during the normal renewal period. Otherwise, a card correction fee of $9 for a driver’s license or $10 for an ID is charged.
When applying for a REAL ID, you will need to bring:
- Your driver's license or ID.
- Your certified birth certificate; your valid, unexpired U.S. passport; or an approved citizenship or legal presence document. (Faxes and photocopies won’t be accepted.)
- If your name is different from the name on your birth certificate, bring certified documents, such as marriage licenses or court orders, for every time your name has changed.
Learn more at Michigan.gov/REALID.
The Oakland County Clerk’s Office issues certified copies of Birth Certificates for births that occurred in Oakland County. All copies issued by the County Clerk’s Office are certified copies and serve as an original document. Birth certificates are confidential records and are only available to the person or parent named on that record. You must show or provide a copy of a valid driver’s license, state-issued ID, or passport.
Similarly, the Oakland County Clerk’s Office issues certified copies of Marriage Certificates filed in Oakland County. All copies issued by the County Clerk’s Office are certified copies and serve as an original document. The marriage license must have been applied for in Oakland County to request a copy of the marriage certificate.
The fee to obtain birth or marriage records is $15 for the first copy and $5 for each additional copy of the same record. Seniors 65 and older obtaining copies of their own birth record can take advantage of a discounted rate of $10 for the first copy. Acceptable methods of payment include cash, money orders made payable to Oakland County Clerk, as well as Discover, MasterCard, and Visa. Personal checks are not accepted.
“I appreciate Deputy Secretary of State Aghogho Edevbie for reaching out to me to collaborate with our office and help make sure Oakland County residents with a Michigan driver’s license or ID get upgraded to a REAL ID before the May 7 deadline,” Clerk Brown said. “Co-locating services saves time for the people we serve and makes it easier for them to get the services they need.”
The Oakland County Clerk’s office and the Oakland County Board of Commissioners Auditorium are located at 1200 N. Telegraph Rd. in Pontiac. As always, the Clerk’s Office is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
For more information, call 248-858-0561 or visit www.oakgov.com/clerkrod.
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