By Cherrie Anne E. Villahermosa
Variety News Staff

SOME CNMI drivers are now using digital or computerized driver’s licenses.
The new licenses were first issued on Dec. 27, 2006, but the Department of Public Safety said they are still issuing the old licenses to applicants who don’t want to disclose their Social Security numbers.
Bureau of Motor Vehicle Director Juana C. Leon Guerrero said the system they are using to process the new license requires the applicant’s Social Security number.
But Leon Guerrero said this is not a compulsory procedure. People can still get the old-style license, which is manually prepared, if they don’t want to disclose their Social Security numbers.
She said they conducted a test run with the new licenses in December and started issuing them after determining that everything was set and ready.
Some of BMV’s transactions are now done through a computerized system.
But the procedure for getting a license is still the same. You have to be at least 16 years old, and when renewing a license, you must secure a traffic clearance first.
The traffic clearance is good only for a day, Leon Guerrero said.
The fees remain the same: $5 for a duplicate and $15 for a driver’s license.
The penalty for the renewal of a license expired for over 30 working days is $10.