Colorado Identification Card: Requirements, REAL ID, and Fees

To get a Colorado identification card, schedule an appointment at a Division of Motor Vehicles office and bring proof of identity, two proofs of your Colorado address, and your Social Security number. A REAL ID-compliant card costs $13.00 if you’re under 60 and is free for residents 60 and older. Standard (non-REAL ID) cards cost $13.30. First-time applicants have to appear in person; there is no online option for an initial card.

What to Bring to Your Appointment

Colorado accepts identity documents on two tracks. Bring one standalone document, or combine one from List A with one from List B.

Standalone documents include an unexpired U.S. passport or passport card, an unexpired permanent resident card, a Colorado license or ID that expired less than ten years ago, or an enhanced out-of-state license from Michigan, New York, Minnesota, Washington, or Vermont.¹ If you don’t have one of those, pair a certified U.S. birth certificate (List A) with a secondary ID such as an out-of-state license, expired U.S. passport, or military ID (List B).

Every document must be an original or certified copy with an official government seal. Photocopies, phone images, and laminated originals are not accepted. Hospital-issued birth certificates and California abstract birth certificates don’t qualify.¹

You also need two separate proofs of your Colorado address, each dated within the past year, showing your full name and physical address. P.O. boxes don’t count. Common choices: a bank statement, utility bill, lease, vehicle registration, insurance policy, government mail, or school transcript. For address documents only, electronic versions on your phone are acceptable.²

You need to provide your Social Security number as well. You can simply state it verbally at the counter. If you’d rather bring documentation, a Social Security card, W-2, pay stub, or 1099 all work.¹

If you don’t have a traditional residential address, the DMV accepts a letter on official letterhead from a government agency or nonprofit that will accept mail on your behalf. The letter must include the facility’s name, address, phone number, and a representative’s signature and date.²

REAL ID or Standard: Which to Choose

Since May 7, 2025, a non-REAL ID card is no longer accepted at TSA airport checkpoints or federal facilities.³ A REAL ID-compliant Colorado card shows a star on the front: black on cards issued since 2020, gold on older ones. A standard card instead carries a black banner reading “Not Valid For Federal Identification, Voting or Public Benefit Purposes.”⁴

Standard cards are issued under the Colorado Road and Community Safety Act and exist primarily for residents who cannot provide proof of lawful presence.⁵ For most residents who can meet REAL ID requirements, the compliant card is the practical choice because it works at airports and federal buildings.

Minors and Non-Citizen Applicants

Anyone under 21 is treated as a minor for ID purposes and must apply in person. A legal guardian has to come along with their own valid Colorado driver license plus proof of legal guardianship, such as the child’s birth certificate naming them as a parent.⁶ The minor still needs the same identity and address documents.

Non-citizens can apply but must present original immigration documents proving lawful presence, such as an unexpired permanent resident card (Form I-551), a foreign passport with an unexpired I-551 stamp, or a valid I-94. The card’s expiration date will match the length of the authorized stay.¹ Non-citizens must apply and renew in person; online renewal is not available. Residents who cannot show lawful presence may still obtain a standard credential with the “not valid for federal identification” banner.⁵

After Your Appointment

You’ll leave the DMV with a temporary credential. The permanent card arrives by mail, usually within 10 to 14 business days and sometimes up to 30. If 30 business days pass with nothing in the mailbox, you can check the status online, email the Returned Credential Office, call 303-205-5600, or go back to the issuing office.⁶

Renewing or Replacing Your Card

You can renew any time before the expiration date printed on your card, and the DMV recommends not waiting until it lapses.⁷ Once your ID expires, you lose valid identification for banking, employment verification, and other everyday needs until the replacement arrives.

Standard (non-REAL ID) credentials are valid for three years from issuance.⁵ REAL ID-compliant cards issued to adults generally carry longer validity. The date on the card is what controls your renewal timing.

Online renewal is available if you’re 21 or older. You’ll need to check eligibility through the DMV’s renewal portal; factors like whether your Social Security number is on file affect whether you qualify. If you renew online, your printed receipt paired with your old card acts as a temporary credential until the new one arrives.⁶ Applicants under 21 can’t renew online.

Replacing a lost, stolen, or damaged card follows the same process as a new application: bring the same identity and address documents to a DMV office. The replacement fee matches the standard issuance fee, and the fee waiver for residents 60 and older still applies.⁸

myColorado Digital ID

Colorado offers a digital ID through the myColorado app, authorized as official identification since October 2019. Within Colorado, it can prove your identity, age, and address. For age-restricted purchases like alcohol, you can display only what’s needed and hide your home address or full birthdate.⁹

The digital ID is only authorized for in-state use. It is not accepted at TSA checkpoints, and individual businesses, agencies, and law enforcement may or may not accept it. You still need to carry your physical card for any situation where the digital version isn’t recognized.

Updating Your Information

Name Changes

To update your legal name, you first need a court order from the district or county court where you live. Applicants over 14 must include results from a fingerprint-based criminal history check conducted within 90 days of filing the petition.¹⁰ Once the court grants the order, bring it to a DMV office with your other documents to get a card with the updated name.

Gender Marker

Colorado offers three sex designations: M, F, and X. To change your designation, visit a DMV office in person and present either a Colorado birth certificate reflecting the change or the DR 2083 Change of Sex Designation form. No surgery, medical treatment, or clinical documentation is required.¹¹ For applicants under 18, both a health care provider and a parent or legal guardian must sign the DR 2083.

Colorado law allows only one sex designation change at your own request. Any further changes require a court order.¹¹ There’s no extra fee for the designation change itself, but you pay the standard credential fee for the new card. Online and mail-in renewals cannot be used to update gender markers.

Veteran Designation

Veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces can have “VETERAN” printed on their card. Bring a valid military ID or a DD214 showing an honorable discharge to any DMV office.

Organ Donor Registration

When you apply or renew, you can register as an organ, eye, and tissue donor on the Donate Life Colorado registry by saying “yes” at the counter. You can also register or change your decision anytime at DonateLifeColorado.org.¹²

Penalties for ID Fraud

Displaying a fraudulent, fictitious, or surrendered ID card, or failing to follow the requirements of the application process, is a class 2 misdemeanor in Colorado. A conviction carries up to 120 days in jail, a fine of up to $750, or both.¹³ Forging or altering an ID is a class 5 felony under Colorado’s forgery statute, with one to three years in prison and fines between $1,000 and $100,000.¹⁴ Any ID obtained through fraudulent means can be confiscated.

1
Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Required Identification Documents to Get Your Permit, Driver License, or Identification Card
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Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Proof of Address
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Transportation Security Administration. Acceptable Identification at the TSA Checkpoint
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Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. REAL ID and Colorado
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Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Standard Licenses and IDs
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Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Identification Cards
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Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Renew Your Colorado Driver License, Permit, or ID Card
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Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. State DMV Fees
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myColorado. Colorado Digital ID
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Justia. Colorado Revised Statutes Section 13-15-101 – Petition – Proceedings – Applicability
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Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Change Your Sex Identifier
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Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle. Organ, Eye and Tissue Donation Information
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Justia. Colorado Revised Statutes Section 42-2-309 – Unlawful Acts
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Justia. Colorado Revised Statutes Section 18-5-102 – Forgery