300,000 Californians Need New Driver's Licenses Thanks To A DMV Bug

For the most part, maintaining your driving license is straightforward. Keep a clean driving record (checking your record regularly is a good idea), renew your license when necessary, make updates to your information as needed, and you'll be good to go. Unfortunately, hundreds of thousands of Real ID-holding drivers licensed in California have hit a major snag. Through no fault of their own, their licenses have been rendered invalid due to a Department of Motor Vehicles software glitch.

Publications such as the San Francisco Chronicle brought this situation to light, explaining that the glitch has impacted roughly 325,000 California drivers, or approximately 1.5% of Real ID holders in the state. The DMV explained that this sudden wiping of Real IDs stems from a 2006 legacy system issue that automatically attached standard expiration dates to some legal immigrants' Real IDs, instead of having them expire at the end of their authorized stay. 

The department, however, clarified that no Real IDs were provided to undocumented immigrants; this issue only affects those holding valid Real IDs. This is, obviously, a pretty big, wide-reaching issue at the California DMV. Thankfully, the DMV is working on ironing everything out to get those affected back on the right side of the law.

At the time of this writing, the California DMV system issue has yet to be completely resolved. So, what are you to do if you're a resident of California who's concerned about your Real ID's status in the wake of this software glitch? The first step would be to check the status of your license and Real ID, which can be done through the California DMV's website. If your Real ID is still valid, no further action is needed. 

However, if you're one of the 300,000 drivers with a now-invalid license, the California DMV is working on solutions and will send out a notice to explain the next steps, per a DMV statement from December 31, 2025. The DMV will help affected drivers receive a new, valid license. Any associated fees will be waived as well, and those inconvenienced will have their cases expedited to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. Also, be aware that the DMV will only contact you via the notice; it will not call, text, or email about the matter. If you need to check anything with the DMV, call 1-800-777-0133.

Contrary to that baseless TikTok rumor that licenses won't be needed to drive in 2026, driver's licenses and Real IDs remain as important as ever for travel. Hopefully, resolving this software issue won't take long, and the impacted drivers will be able to get legally back on the road in no time.