RMV Closing For 3 Days To Roll Out New Massachusetts Driver's License

BOSTON (CBS) - There are big changes coming to the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles.

The entire computer system is shutting down for three days this weekend to roll out a new driver's license.

By October of 2020, we will all have to get new driver's licences because of increased federal security measures.

But you have a choice. There's a basic license that's good only in Massachusetts or what they're calling a "Real ID," which will serve as a federal identification card. You'll need it to board a plane or get into a federal building.

But the new driver's licences require new software, so the registry will go completely dark from Thursday, March 22 at 7 p.m. to Monday, March 26 at 8 a.m.

So starting on Monday, March 26, to get a Real ID or the basic Massachusetts driver's license, you'll need proof of residency, a Social Security number, and one of the following - a birth certificate, passport, green card or immigration documents.

The RMV hopes the process this weekend will be better than the fiasco when they rolled out new vehicle inspection software last fall.

"The inspection program rollout in October was an entirely different vendor, but it was an important opportunity for us to learn how we can implement these systems going forward," said Registrar Erin Deveney.

For more information on the new licences, visit mass.gov/guides/new-massachusetts-requirements