Enhanced Driver's Licenses are a new, more secure form of identification recently issued by some U.S. border states, including Michigan, New York, Washington and Vermont. Enhanced Driver's Licenses or EDLs are similar to regular licenses, but include a tiny computer chip containing secure electronic identification data that can be scanned to help verify the bearer's identity when crossing the U.S. border by land.
EDLs are designed as a secure, less-expensive alternative to a passport for travelers going by land between the U.S. and a bordering nation. Since they are essentially driver's licenses with enhanced security features, signers may present EDLs as proof of identity to Notaries in states that accept driver's licenses as identification. While the electronic data cannot be accessed by Notaries, EDLs can be accepted with a higher degree of confidence because they require a stricter screening process to obtain than regular licenses.