Washington State First to Provide a U.S. Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) - Compliant Enhanced Driver License

Overview

With the implementation of the U.S. Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) program, U.S. citizens ultimately will need to provide WHTI-compliant proof of identity upon returning to the U.S. from western hemisphere nations. With Washington State Governor Christine Gregoire's sponsorship, and anticipating increased border crossings in 2010 with the upcoming Winter Olympics in British Columbia, Canada, the State of Washington decided to become the first in the nation to introduce a WHTI-compliant enhanced driver license. The Washington State Department of Licensing teamed with Washington Department of Information Services, Department of Homeland Security, Digimarc, and Microsoft to implement the Enhanced Driver License program.