Quick answer
Right after you sign in with Secure Access Washington, the course asks for three things from the front of your driver license: your Washington Driver License Number (DLN), your last name, and your date of birth. These are checked against the DOL DRIVES system to confirm we’re updating the right driver record.
It’s a one-time step. After it succeeds, you won’t see it again on future visits.
In this article
- Why this step exists
- What you’ll need before you start
- Step-by-step: verify your identity
- What we check — and don’t check
- Do I have to do this every time?
- If verification doesn’t work
Why this step exists
Signing in with Secure Access Washington tells the course who you are as a Washington citizen. But the course also needs to know which driver licensing record to update when you finish — and that record is managed by a different DOL system called DRIVES.
This short verification step links your sign-in to your specific driver record. When you complete the course, your completion is sent directly to the right place, with no extra effort from you.
Why we use license fields instead of WA.gov info
WA.gov knows your sign-in identity, but it doesn’t pass your driver license details to the course. That separation is on purpose — your WA.gov password stays private, and only the small amount of information needed for this course is shared. See the related article on how your personal information is protected for the full story.
What you’ll need before you start
Before you click Verify, have your physical Washington driver license in hand. You’ll read these three fields directly from the front of the card.
| Field | Required? | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|
| Washington Driver License Number (DLN) | Yes | Front of your Washington driver license. |
| Last name | Yes | Front of your Washington driver license — exactly as printed. |
| Date of birth | Yes | Front of your Washington driver license. |
| Social Security Number | No | Never asked for. If you see a page asking for it, it isn’t the real course. |
| Address or phone number | No | Not needed for this step. |
| Photo or scan of your license | No | Only the three text fields above are required. |
Don’t have your physical license?
If your license is lost, in the mail, or being reissued, your information may not match cleanly. In that case, contact Driver Licensing Customer Service at (360) 902-3900 before starting the course. They can confirm what’s on file and help you get going.
Step-by-step: verify your identity
Once you’re signed in with Secure Access Washington, the verification screen opens automatically. Follow these steps:
- Have your physical Washington driver license in front of you.
- Enter your Washington Driver License Number (DLN) exactly as it appears on the front of your card. No spaces, no dashes.
- Enter your last name exactly as printed — include any hyphens, apostrophes, suffixes (Jr., Sr., II), and spaces. Don’t add a middle name.
- Enter your date of birth in MM/DD/YYYY format (month, day, year).
- Click Verify. The course will check your information with DRIVES — this usually takes just a few seconds.
- When it succeeds, you’ll see a confirmation message and a Start course button. You’re ready to go.
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What we check — and don’t check
The course checks the three fields above against the DOL DRIVES system. That’s the only check that happens. Specifically:
- DLN, last name, and date of birth are sent to DRIVES over an encrypted connection, in line with TLS 1.2 or higher.
- DRIVES responds with either “match” or “no match.” The course never sees other details on your record — no address, phone number, photo, or driving history.
- The course doesn’t store your information unencrypted. Once verified, the link between your account and your driver record is what stays, not the raw fields you typed.
⚠ We never ask for your Social Security Number
This course is free, mandated by state law, and tied to your existing driver record. You will never be asked for your Social Security Number, payment information, or any document beyond what’s on the front of your license. If a page asks for any of those, it isn’t the real course — close it and report it.
Do I have to do this every time?
No. Verifying your driver identity is a one-time step:
- First visit: you sign in with WA.gov, complete the verification screen, and start the course.
- Future visits: you only sign in with WA.gov. The course remembers your verified driver record and takes you straight to My Courses.
The one exception is if your driver record changes — for example, a new license number after a reissue, or a legal name change. In those cases, you may be asked to verify again so the course can re-link your sign-in to the updated record. See Troubleshooting "Data Mismatch" Errors if you run into trouble.
If verification doesn’t work
If the course returns a “Data Mismatch” message after you click Verify, that almost always means a small typing difference rather than a problem with your record. The companion article walks through the fixes step by step — see Troubleshooting "Data Mismatch" Errors.