MVR Search > Helpful Hints
Helpful Hints
1. What is Opt Out?
Summary -- On September 13, 1994 the Driver Privacy Protection Act of 1994 was enacted into law, with its provisions becoming effective three years from this enactment, September 13, 1997. The Driver's Privacy Protection Act of 1994, required states to give residents the option to close their record information to the public. The term generally used to quickly reference this change was "Opt Out."
In October of 1999, Congress amended the Driver's Privacy Protection Act to require states to close all vehicle records to the general public and give residents the option to keep their records open. This amendment to the law was effective June 1, 2000. The term generally used to quickly reference this change was "Opt In." Only individuals who have certified their eligibility in writing by completing a Certificate of Acceptable Use, like yourself, are able to view motor vehicle records.
2. I used to be able to search for Driver's License and Title records by name, but those search options are no longer there. Why have these been removed?
The Kansas Department of Revenue, Division of Motor Vehicles, and Kansas.gov have made the decision to eliminate the "index" search option based on our commitment to increase the level of security and privacy for the citizens of Kansas.
As a result of federal legislation known as the Driver's Privacy Protection Act, 18 U.S.C. 2721 et seq. (DPPA), new restrictions on the disclosure of personal information contained in the records of the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) came into effect. Under the DPPA, personal information can be disclosed ONLY to certain categories of requestors, and for those permitted uses identified in state statute.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you. Thank you for helping us protect the privacy of the citizens of Kansas.