ALBUQUERQUE — Motorists, take heed: A red light is bad and a green light is good at state Motor Vehicle Division offices when it comes time to get a New Mexico driver's license for the first time.

The agency is rolling out changes in 2008, when new-style licenses — studded with high-tech features — will no longer be produced at individual MVD offices.

The licenses will be issued from a central source — a state-contracted vendor in Washington state, said Ken Ortiz, the MVD director, who added that 28 other states issue driver's licenses from a central point.

And the MVD will be using the latest technology to make sure you are who you say you are and to help ensure that someone hasn't swiped your identity.

The changes will start around the last week in February, Ortiz said Thursday.

They should be implemented by the first or second week of April at all MVD offices and private retail outlets and municipalities that also handle the licenses, he said.

The first MVD offices to be affected by the change will be in and around Santa Fe and Albuquerque.

"We are removing all of our equipment, supplies and card stock from field offices," Ortiz said.

"In the past, there have been several instances where thieves have broken into offices and have stolen either our driver's license machine or printer as well as card stock and material to produce driver's licenses," he said.

The procedure will be a bit more complex for folks seeking their first New Mexico driver's licenses.

As in the past, they will need four documents: a proof of identification, such as a birth certificate; a proof of an ID number, such as a Social Security number; and two proofs of New Mexico residency, such as a mortgage or a utility bill.

The MVD will use a cutting-edge device to scan the documentation, looking for embedded security features to ensure it's legit, Ortiz said. The MVD also has retained digital images of source documents to help prove the legitimacy of license applicants' paperwork, he said.

Software on the device will show an MVD clerk a red light or a green light.

"If there's a green light, it's all verified. If there's a red light, it means something's wrong — either further scrutiny or denial of license," Ortiz said.

"Another thing we've implemented across the state is fraudulent document recognition classes for every (MVD) agent," he said.

Social Security numbers will be checked online against a Social Security Administration database to verify a license applicant's name, date of birth and Social Security number, Ortiz said.

The MVD also will use a national database called the Problem Driver Pointer System "to see if a driver's license is currently suspended or revoked in another state or whether he has any unpaid citations," he said.

Motorists seeking to renew their current New Mexico driver's licenses will be subject only to checks on the Problem Driver Pointer System and biometric facial recognition.

"We're taking a picture of an applicant, comparing that photo with the photo on the previous driver's license and then comparing it to a complete database of all images we have," Ortiz said.

The MVD has 5 million images on file.

"This makes sure a person doesn't have a stolen identity, a fraudulent identity or a multiple set of identities," Ortiz said.

Motorists meeting all the criteria for new or renewed driver's licenses will be issued temporary driver's licenses that will be valid for 45 days.

The lightweight plastic temporary license will be stuck on a a piece of paper containing information on what it is and how long it will take to get the real deal.

Motorists will receive their new licenses seven to 10 days after they get their temporary licenses, Ortiz said.

Security features on the new license will increase from four to 12, he said.

One of them is laser perforation. "When you hold it (a license) up to a light, you will be able to see the Zia symbol image come through the card," Ortiz said.

The new license will have a full photo of the motorist on the left side and a ghost image of the same photo on the bottom right, he said.

The license also will have a bar code for use when motorists are given traffic tickets.

"Once the driver is cited, at that moment an electronic image of the citation is sent to the Motor Vehicle Division or to court," Ortiz said. Police will need bar code readers to use the system.

The license also will have microprinting along with covert technology that Ortiz declined to reveal because of security concerns. "Due to all this technology, it basically makes driver's licenses more secure then they have been," he said.

And how will the new system play out when it comes to those dreaded MVD lines?

"We don't expect the impact of longer wait times," Ortiz said.

The Legislature has mandated a statewide average of 15 minutes, and "for the first time, the average wait time between July 1, 2006, and June 30, 2007, averaged 14 minutes," he said.