An 82-year old World War II refugee from Poland, a Cuban immigrant who arrived during the 1980 Mariel boatlift and Laotians who came to the United States after the Vietnam War were among those who had a hard time proving they were in the country legally, said Patrick Fernan, deputy director of the Wisconsin motor vehicles department.

Citizens in other states also have been surprised by tighter driver’s license requirements, including in Georgia, where some women who took their husbands' last names have had their licenses revoked because their surnames no longer matched their Social Security numbers.