Virginia Drivers Can Smile (Again) In Driver's License Photo
Smile, Virginia!
The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles said today that it will now allowsdrivers the option of smiling, or not, in their photos.
The DMV also made the announcement on their Facebook page, with the help of Buddy the Elf:
We agree with Buddy the Elf – smiling is wonderful. Virginia drivers can now smile in driver's license and ID card photographs thanks to improvements in technology. http://ow.ly/Wbttl
Posted by VirginiaDMV on Monday, December 21, 2015
Back in 2009, Virginia's DMV adopted a neutral expression policy (i.e. no smiling) to possibly use with image verification software that at the time worked best when comparing similar images. But now the DMV is no longer using that software.
Want to show off your pearly whites on your license right away? Anyone who would like a new photo should take their unexpired driver's license of ID card to the DMV's customer service center or DMV 2 Go mobile office. It will cost you $20 to replace your driver's license, $10 to replace an ID card.