California woman's new ID has photo of her wearing a mask

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When Leslie Pilgrim visited her local DMV, she never imagined they would send her an ID photo with her wearing a face mask.

The California resident who hails from Huntington Beach told FOX 11 Los Angeles that she had waited for the DMV employee behind the camera to let her know when it was the right time to take off her mask.

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"When I got up there, I got to the front of the line, I didn't take it off, I got in front of the backdrop to take my picture, I still didn't take it off," Pilgrim explained. "Nobody said anything and then the next thing that anybody said to me was 'look into the camera' and then I heard a click, and then I realized he had taken the picture with my mask on."

Leslie Pilgrim from California went to the DMV to get a REAL ID driver license. (Leslie Pilgrim)

However, the employee who snapped the photo realized their mistake and took another one with Pilgrim’s mask removed.

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Several days later, Pilgrim received her REAL ID driver license in the mail. But, little did she know she wouldn’t be greeted with her mask-free portrait.

Instead, Pilgrim saw her new $35 license showed her wearing a gray mask that takes up more than half her face. Only her eyes, eyebrows and forehead were visible aside from her hair and neck.

"I was raised to see the humor in everything, so to me, at the end of the day, this is funny," Pilgrim told FOX 11.

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Leslie Pilgrim's new driver license shows her wearing a face mask, which have become the norm during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Leslie Pilgrim)

The California Department of Motor Vehicles says this is the first time an incident such as this has happened.

"Customers are asked to remove their face covering when a photo is taken. In this instance there was an oversight. The customer should have been asked to lower her mask for the photo," a DMV spokesperson wrote to Fox News via email. "This is the only instance of a license photo with a face mask reported to the DMV by a customer."

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"The DMV is investigating how this may have happened and has reminded staff of proper procedures," the spokesperson went on to share. "The DMV contacted the customer and an appointment has been scheduled for a new photo to be taken."

REAL IDs will become an identification requirement for people who want to enter federal facilities, nuclear power plants or commercial airplanes at federally-regulated airports starting on Oct. 1, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

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FOX 11 Los Angeles’ Mary Stringini contributed to this report.