What makes a secondary ID valid?

A secondary ID is considered valid primarily because it is government-issued. This typically implies a level of verification and credibility since these forms of identification are distributed by recognized authorities. Government-issued IDs are designed to meet certain standards and often include features intended to prevent fraud, such as holograms, barcodes, or unique identification numbers. This reliability makes them a trustworthy source of identification in various scenarios, such as verifying age, identity, or citizenship.

While other elements may be relevant in identifying a person, such as having a photo, social security number, or signature, they do not inherently provide the same level of authenticity and verification as a government-issued ID. For example, a photo ID could be a driver’s license, which is valid, but if it is not issued by a governmental body, it may not carry the same weight as a federal or state identification document. The same applies to social security numbers and signatures; they can be used for verification but do not themselves establish a person’s identity as strongly as a government-issued document.