The demand for enhanced driver's licenses on the North Olympic Peninsula is so great that the state Department of Licensing is expanding the Port Angeles office's capacity to take applications for the card.

"We were surprised by the tremendous response we got from Port Angeles," Brad Benfield, media relations manager for the licensing department, said after the state began scheduling appointments on Tuesday.

"We're going to double the capacity that we had originally planned," from 10 appointments per week to 20.

Through Wednesday — the last day for which figures were available — 94 appointments had been scheduled at the Port Angeles office at Armory Square, 228 W. First St., for the card.

The enhanced driver's license will work like a U.S. passport to re-enter the United States by land or sea from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda or the Caribbean as of Jan. 31.

So far, 63 appointments have been scheduled in February, 26 in March and 5 in April.

Some people chose to have appointments scheduled later, to give them time to collect needed documents, Benfield said.

Appointments still are available in February.

The Port Angeles licensing office is the only location in Clallam and Jefferson counties where applications will be taken for enhanced driver's licenses or enhanced state ID cards.

But appointments can't be made by phoning the Port Angeles office.

To make an appointment, phone 866-520-4365, a toll-free number that rings in West Seattle.

At least two specially trained agents will be in Port Angeles at least two days per week to process applications for the license.Extended hours
Original plans were to have agents in Port Angeles on Wednesdays and Fridays.

The state now plans to either have extended hours for those two days or add an extra day to take care of all those who make appointments, Benfield said.

"We were really delighted with the demand in Port Angeles," he said.

The other 10 offices in the state that are offering the enhanced driver's licenses are taking applications five days a week, Benfield said.

The closest offices to the North Olympic Peninsula other than Port Angeles are Smokey Point near Everett, West Seattle and Bellingham.

To get an enhanced driver's license, bring proof of citizenship — a birth certificate or other proof of citizenship such as a passport — and of Washington state residency.

A current driver's license, utility bills, mortgage and insurance documents are among the qualifying items for the residency requirement.

Applicants will need to give their Social Security numbers, too.

The licenses are good for five years.

Holders of valid standard licenses will pay $15 for the enhanced license features.

But, when a standard license is renewed with the enhanced features, it will cost $40.

It will take from one to two weeks to get the license by mail.

The application process, which includes an interview, will take from 45 minutes to an hour.

By the end of Wednesday, 1,830 people statewide had made appointments for the card.State developed idea
Washington state began developing the new licenses, which are equipped with radio-frequency identification technology, about 18 months ago in anticipation of stricter documentation requirements at the Canadian border.

Previously, people could show standard driver's licenses and make verbal declarations that they were U.S. citizens.

Starting on Jan. 31, the federal Department of Homeland Security is asking that people begin providing proof of citizenship to re-enter the country, such as a passport or a driver's license accompanied by a birth certificate.

An enhanced driver's license will fulfill the requirement for land and sea travelers returning from Canada or other U.S. neighbors.

It also will meet the stronger requirements expected in June 2009, when Homeland Security has said that all international travelers arriving by land or sea must carry passports.

The enhanced driver's license is not enough for air travelers.

Residents returning to Washington state by airplane from any country, including Canada, must have a U.S. passport to satisfy federal Homeland Security workers at airports.