I recently went to the California DMV to obtain a driver’s license. I had a license from Virginia and had not had a California license for over 10 years.
To my surprise, the DMV did not require me to provide documentation verifying my address. Instead, the information was entered based on what I had provided on the application form. This is in contrast to other states like Florida which apparently require proof of address (see here). Instead, California’s DMV relies on customers to ensure the address is correct (“Double-check your address before you leave DMV and tell the DMV representative if you have moved or if your address is incorrect”).
This also does not comply with the federal REAL ID Act’s requirement that states require presentation and verification of “[d]ocumentation showing the person’s name and address of principal residence.” (119 Stat. 313). California (among other states) has an extension from the Department of Homeland Security for complying with the REAL ID Act.
This matters because FinCEN’s regulations require financial institutions to verify a person’s address using, for example, a driver’s license (31 CFR 1010.312). If financial institutions are using non-verified driver’s licenses to verify an address, the word “verify” doesn’t mean much.