The Clay County Department of Motor Vehicles in Moorhead is ending its participation in the program, which the Legislature directed Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS) to pilot in 2022. Clay County was one of two locations that offered same-day cards; Dakota County’s Lakeville License Center ended its participation in the program in October 2025. The program allowed customers to apply for a standard licenses or ID card, have it printed on the spot and walk out with it the same day. 

However the difference in quality of printing and appearance created issues for some customers. For example, the same-day cards aren’t able to replicate the picture of the canoeist featured on traditional cards, and the customer’s date of birth only appears once versus twice on the traditional card. The differences are illustrated on the DVS website.

DVS contracts with a third-party vendor to produce its licenses and ID cards, and the printers used during the pilot program weren’t able to duplicate the appearance or quality of a traditional standard card, so they looked and felt slightly different. 

DVS recommended to the Legislature that the pilot program not continue, and both participating locations chose to pull out of the program.

All same-day cards that have already been issued will remain valid until they expire.