1. (1) General document conditions. All documents offered by persons applying for licenses or identification cards issued by the department shall be original documents, unless otherwise expressly allowed. Certified copies of government documents shall bear an original certification and the seal of the appropriate agency, or otherwise exhibit evidence to the satisfaction of the department that the document is an authentic, accurate and unaltered copy of the original government document. Mutilated, altered or uncertified photocopies of documents are not acceptable.
2. (1e) Valid and unexpired documents. All documents required to be produced under this chapter must be valid and unexpired, unless exempted by another provision in this chapter.

3. (1m) REAL ID compliant attestation required. The application for a REAL ID compliant product shall contain the following attestation by the product applicant: “I declare under penalty of perjury that information on this application is true and correct and that I am a resident of Wisconsin.” An application may not be accepted by the department which lacks the affirmation, the signature of the applicant, or the date the applicant signed the application.

   Note: Product applications, Form MV3001, 3001s, 3004 and 3004s, contain this affirmation.

4. (1s) Verification.

   1. (a) The department shall verify the applicant’s social security number and the minimum number of documents needed for issuance of any product under s. Trans 102.15.
   2. (b) The department shall verify the social security number and documents presented in support of a REAL ID compliant product application in a manner required by 6 CFR 37.13.
   3. (c) The department may refuse to issue a product to an applicant if a social security number or any document presented in support of an application for a product cannot be verified.

5. (2) Suspect document. The department may decline to accept any document presented as part of an application for an operator’s license, identification card, vehicle title, or vehicle registration if it has any reason to doubt the authenticity of the document, the identity of the person named in the document, the identity of the applicant, that the residency information provided by the applicant is inaccurate, or for any of the reasons specified in sub. (3). In such case, the department may retain the document and investigate its authenticity, provide the document to local, state, or federal authorities, require additional documentation from the applicant to establish the fact that the document was offered to prove, or any combination of these actions. Documents determined to be genuine and to identify the applicant who presented them shall be returned to the applicant, except as provided in sub. (3). A document may be retained for investigation and be considered unacceptable if any of the following apply:

   1. (a) The document includes a photograph and the applicant presenting the document is not readily recognizable from the photograph.
   2. (b) The document includes a photograph that matches or resembles a photograph in the department’s records, or another database or system the department uses for identity verification, that is assigned to another person.
   3. (c) Any facts lead the department to question the authenticity of the document or accuracy of the data in the document.

6. (3) Confiscation of document.

   1. (a) Employees or agents of the department may take possession and investigate the authenticity of any document submitted as proof of the applicant’s name and date of birth, identity, residency, or any other fact sought to be proven to the department and may provide those documents to local, state, or federal authorities in any of the following circumstances:

      1. 1. The document is or appears to be counterfeit.
      2. 2. The applicant presents documents related to another individual under the guise that the applicant is the other individual.
      3. 3. The document appears not to be or is not a genuine document.
      4. 4. The document appears to have been altered.
      5. 5. Law enforcement has requested the department confiscate documents presented by a specific person.
      6. 6. Signatures, photographs, or other identifiers on the document appear to not match one or more other signatures, photographs, or other identifiers of the applicant known to the department.

   2. (b) In the event the department confiscates a document and determines that it is genuine and relates to the person who presented it, the department shall return the document to the person, unless the department has provided it to other local, state or federal authorities.

      Note: Section 343.14 (5), Stats., makes it a crime to present false information in connection with an application for a driver license or ID card.

History

History: CR 04-100: cr., renum. (1) from Trans 102.15 (7) and am. Register June 2005 No. 594, eff. 7-1-05; CR 23-042: am. (title), cr. (1e), (1m), (1s), renum. (2) to (2) (intro.) and am., cr. (2) (a) to (c), am. (3) (a) (intro.), cr. (3) (a) 6. Register April 2025 No. 832, eff. 5-1-25.