Tips to make getting your Star Card easier

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI/KIDK) - Procrastinators still have seven months to get their Star Card before the Oct. 1 deadline.

If you're part of the 80 percent of Idahoans who still haven't gotten their Star Card, here are some tips to make the process easier.

Decide if you really need one.

A common misconception is that you need a Star Card. Regular drivers licenses will still be valid after Oct. 1.

However, you won't be able to fly or enter federal buildings without a star card OR passport/passport card.

Even after Oct. 1, you can still get a Star Card. So, if you don't plan to fly until 2021, you can wait it out.

“People think that’s the deadline if they don’t have the star by then they can’t get it later. That’s not true," said Bannock County's drivers license lead, Wendy Worlton.

Come prepared.

So you've decided to get the Star Card. Now, what?

Check out the Idaho Transportation Department's website for a comprehensive guide to find out what you specifically will need to bring.

Generally, people will need to bring either a valid passport or a certified birth certificate (not the one from the hospital with the cute feet on it), a social security card (not laminated) and two forms of proof of residency.

Here's where it gets sticky: If you've changed your name for marriage or any other reason, and you don't have a valid passport, you're going to need more documents.

“We do have to have your legal name change documents, and they do have to be certified copies,” Worlton said.

One of the most common problems people run into is not having the certified copy of their marriage certificate or name change document. You can find it at Vital Statistics or your courthouse.

But, if you have a valid passport with your current name, you don't need the name change documents.

Now let's move on to the other common problem: proof of residency. There's plenty of ways to prove you live in Idaho, but any old piece of mail won't do.

“Utility bills, rental agreements, paycheck stubs, bank statements, credit card statements, we can even take a valid car insurance. We can’t take car registration, but (we can take) the valid car insurance if it has the name and current address on it,” Worlton said.

You'll want two different types of proof, so your W2 and paystub won't work together because they're from the same place. Make sense? You can call the drivers license bureau to check.

Avoid the lines.

Let's say you have all the right documents, you've finally found the time to make it to the drivers license bureau, but now you have to stand in line for an hour. Ugh!

“It’s been more crowded anyway. So if you’re coming, just plan on longer lines and give yourself plenty of time,” Worlton said.

The best time to go (at least in Bannock County) is in the morning. There's virtually no lines.

The worst time to go (again, in Bannock County) is Monday and Thursday afternoon.

You can go to any county's drivers license bureau to get the Star Card, regardless of where you live. But double check when the bureau is open before you go...

Good luck!