New design for Texas driver’s license and ID cards released Monday

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texans will see a new design on state identification cards and driver’s licenses starting Monday, the Texas Department of Public Safety announced. However, the old version will remain valid until its expiration date.

The new ID cards have “increased safety features,” DPS said. In the press release, DPS’ Driver License Division Chief Sheri Gipson said the cards will be more difficult to counterfeit.

“The way driver licenses are made can make a big difference in terms of public safety,” Gipson said in the release. “This new card design will make it even more difficult for criminals to produce counterfeit cards, and it enhances ways we can protect Texans’ identities from being stolen.”

The cards remain REAL ID compliant, now featuring a black, laser-engraved star in the right corner rather than the previous gold star design, DPS said.

Starting in May, REAL IDs were required to board any domestic flight in the U.S.