Colorado ID, How To Help

To get a Colorado ID, you must provide enough documentation to prove identity, age, name, and lawful presence. Colorado IDs are important for refugees, particularly in helping them to do things like setting up a bank account - a key piece in helping refugees to learn financial literacy and becoming self-sufficient.

Getting a Colorado ID may be a fairly simple process for an American-born person, but it's actually a bit tricky if you come to the US as a refugee. One of the main reasons is because documentation showing identification is not easy to come by when you have fled your country without a passport or other documents to prove your identity. This, however, can be overcome, as long as the timing is right!

To start out, when refugees come to the US, they already have been issued something called an I-94 visa. It looks like this:

This is the beginning point for several different things for refugees. This visa enables refugees to enter the US and work on establishing their immigration status. Refugees are eligible right away for different things because they have an I-94, including:

• school registration for children
• obtaining employment authorization documents (see below)
• applying for social security numbers

Now, let's say that there is a refugee you're helping to get a Colorado ID. You may think, since they have an I-94, they would be able to apply for a Colorado ID card. However, this is not the case. If a refugee does not have a picture ID, they will not be able to apply for a Colorado ID. So, the timing is very important! The best idea is to wait until a refugee has received an Employment Authorization Document, or EAD, which looks like this:

Times can vary for how long it will take for refugees to receive their EADs, but they should have it within 30-60 days after they have arrived. Typically, EADs are mailed to the resettlement agencies and the cards are given to refugees by their case managers.

The other important part of helping a refugee to get a Colorado ID is that they have a proof of residence. Some things that would work for proof of residence would include:

• the lease agreement for a refugee's apartment
• a bill or other piece of mail showing the refugee's name and address (for a full list of qualifying documents, click here)
• payment for the ID card ($10.50, unless they are 60+)

If you have these things, you're set to help a refugee get their Colorado ID!

For more information, please visit these webpages:

• Fact Sheet on I-94: http://www.ice.gov/doclib/sevis/pdf/i94-fact-sheet.pdf
• Info on EAD (Employment Authorization Document): http://www.uscis.gov/green-card/green-card-processes-and-procedures/employment-authorization-document
• Qualifying Identification Documents: http://www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite?c=Page&cid=1216289012546&pagename=Revenue-Main%2FXRMLayout
• State webpage on getting a Colorado ID: http://www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite/Revenue-MV/RMV/1186476450044