The State of Ohio has announced that Ohio voters will now be required to have a photo ID, and that free photo ID cards will be offered as part of this. We followed up with the Ohio BMV and learned that FREE State IDs will be available to applicants age 17 and older, starting on April 7th of 2023.

Photo IDs are critical for many basic things, including cashing checks. Not having a photo ID can make it additionally more difficult to connect to State and Federal benefits that require proof of identity as well.

A photo ID for voting purposes is defined as one of the following documents: An Ohio driver’s license, state ID card, or interim identification form issued by the BMV; a U.S. passport or passport card; a U.S. military ID card, Ohio National Guard ID card, or U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ID card.

Currently the Ohio BMV provides State ID cards for $10 that are valid for 4 years, and $19 for ones that are valid for 8 years. To receive a State ID, one must provide their full legal name, their date of birth, proof of their legal presence in the US, social security number, and Ohio street address. There are a number of documents that are accepted as proof of these things, and a full list of them is provided in English, Spanish, and Somali, on the Ohio BMV website. The BMV has a search tool available online to find the closest BMV office to your location as well.

There are a number of agencies that provide vouchers to financially assist someone in replacing a birth certificate and/or State ID, and we previously published an article about Vouchers to Obtain Birth Certificates and IDs. This information can be used if a photo ID is needed prior to April.

You can find more resources related to obtaining birth certificates and IDs by selecting the “IDs and Citizenship” option from the dropdown tab on our Social Service “Utilization Library” page.