Yukon drivers’ licences will no longer get turned away by skeptical bartenders or Outside police.
The new licences sport holographic safety features and a swipeable barcode.
Beginning November 1, new drivers will be eligible to receive the updated licence, as will people whose licence has expired.
Others looking to replace their old licence can only do so after November 4, at a cost of $15.
But Yukoners aren’t required to swap in their old cards until their licence officially expires.
Even so, the Motor Vehicle Branch is getting ready for a “backlog” of replacements, said director Walter Brennan.
The new licence will meet all Canadian and North American standards for licensing, he said.
That means the licences won’t get rejected when you step into a bar or try to rent a vehicle in the United States.
The barcode running along the back of the licence will be used by police to collect information such as date of birth, height and age of the driver, which can be easily transferred to their records for ticket-writing purposes.
That information won’t be able to be accessed by anyone else, said Brennan.
New ID cards will also replace the Yukon liquor card, acting as general identification for anyone who doesn’t drive, but is of age.
The cost to create the new licences - which are being produced in the Yukon - is about $500,000.