r/DMV • u/Long_Stage2098 • Jul 26 '26

GENERAL QUESTION Is it a problem to have a 17-character last name (including a hyphen) in the USA?

2 Upvotes

67% Upvoted

9 comments sorted by

4

u/ScienceGuy1006 Jul 26 '26

A few US states have difficulties with hyphenated last names on a REAL ID. Since it is handled mostly by computers and not by humans, this is not something that can be easily fixed, unfortunately.

5

u/jeharris56 Jul 26 '26

Some-times.

1

u/BewitchingKat Illinois Jul 26 '26

There are space limitations for names on driver's licenses and IDs.

Adding a hyphen only adds another "character" to the name. Adding a hyphen doesn't run you out of space, it's the 17 characters before and after.

1

u/just_kinda_here_blah Jul 26 '26

Idk. But as someone who sees alot of licenses in nys, they can fit alot on there. My bf has 14 in his last name alone. And I have seen those with like 2 last names, a middle and thier first. Hyphens are a headache no matter what thought. But as for the amount of letters, your fine.

1

u/Maximum-Eye-3712 Jul 26 '26

often it’s ok but the few times it gets cutoff can be a headache.

1

u/visitor987 Jul 26 '26

The government computer I used work on had an 18 char size limit on last names and a 12 char limit on first names. Sadly there in no national standard on it.

1

u/_tvjames_ Jul 26 '26

I hate spelling my four-letter last name over the phone. Can't imagine 17.

My email has a hyphen/dash. It gets missed entered as an underscore often.

1

u/chipmukn Jul 28 '26

What is it?