Big Changes For NJ Driver's Licenses, REAL ID As Walk-Ins Allowed

NEW JERSEY – New Jersey continues to make changes and expand services now that drivers' licenses and state IDs must be REAL ID compliant by late 2020.

The Motor Vehicle Commission will now allow customers whose licenses/IDs are close to expiration to get REAL ID driver licenses and non-driver IDs without an appointment on a test basis.

Such “walk-ins” will be allowed only for renewals, only on selected dates and only at participating locations, the MVC said.

Also, 10 agencies have been added to the list of those that can provide REAL ID services, bringing the total to 32 (see list below).

REAL ID appointments, which are scheduled online and have been in place since the phased rollout was launched last September, will continue.

Customers can only take advantage of the “walk-in” policy from the 5th through the 20th of each month in participating agencies that are fully REAL ID-operational, said Motor Vehicle Commission Chief Administrator Sue Fulton.

Also, only drivers with licenses due to expire within three months of their walk-in visit will be eligible for a REAL ID without an appointment.

“The appointment-only system helped with the phased rollout and was necessary in the early stages for a smooth, controlled, and successful launch of REAL ID,’’ Fulton added. “We have steadily built our capacity and are now ready to accommodate walk-ins on a limited basis.”

If you're a New Jersey resident, you need to eventually get a REAL ID if you plan to fly anywhere in the U.S. on or after Oct. 1, 2020.

The current REAL ID participating MVC agencies are:

• Bayonne
• Camden
• Cardiff
• Cherry Hill
• Delanco
• East Orange
• Eatontown
• Edison
• Flemington
• Freehold
• Hazlet
• Jersey City
• Lakewood
• Lodi
• Manahawkin
• Medford
• North Bergen
• Oakland
• Rahway
• Rio Grande
• Runnemede
• Salem
• Somerville
• South Brunswick
• South Plainfield
• Springfield
• Trenton
• Turnersville
• Vineland
• Wallington
• Washington
• West Deptford

Customers should check back frequently at REALIDNJ.com for updates and added agencies.

Fulton said interest in obtaining a REAL ID is high, revealing that more than 200,000 New Jerseyans have signed up for appointments so far through REALIDNJ.com, the website where customers must make their appointments.

“It is clear to us that right now demand outstrips the number of available REAL ID appointments,’’ Fulton said. “That is why we are testing REAL ID for eligible walk-ins during these designated days of the month, which are typically less busy than at the very beginning or end of the month.’’

Fulton said REAL ID requires additional identification documents beyond the six points of ID that have long been needed to obtain a standard driver license in New Jersey. These additional documents must include two proofs of address and one proof of the applicant’s Social Security number.

“Many of our customers believe that if they already hold a New Jersey driver license, they don’t need to bring all the documents for REAL ID, and that’s just not true,’’ Fulton said. “There’s a user-friendly document selector at REALIDNJ.com. We tell everyone, even our own employees, to use that before you come in so we don’t have to send you away without your REAL ID.’’

The MVC said it's also continuously adding more appointment slots at REALIDNJ.com as it rolls out more agencies that offer REAL ID services, according to William Connolly, a spokesman for the agency.

Since the launch of the agency's phased rollout of REAL ID in September, Connolly said, the MVC has sought to manage volume and has added capacity.

"Above all, we did not want to make the same mistakes we saw in some other states where customers were drawn to agencies unable to handle the demand for REAL ID, and long agency wait times followed, he said.

Connolly has acknowledged that there is more demand than appointment slots, and "this is as we expected," he said.

The news comes after a number of delays bogged down the REAL ID process in New Jersey last year, when the MVC was staring down at a deadline to make the driver's license changes available to the public.

MVC employees have been training and getting familiar with the new systems that are intended to help put REAL IDs in place, officials say, and the MVC has had to fix a lot of bugs.

New Jersey originally had hoped to roll out REAL IDs, which will bring big changes to your driver's license, by the end of May or early June 2019.

But the delays happened because the MVC was undergoing computer software testing to "ensure that the systems are working as expected and that our employees are properly trained," MVC spokesman Jim Hooker said.

"These were not yet available to the general public because, as we have said, we owe it to our customers to ensure that we do this right," Hooker has said. "We have 6 million drivers in New Jersey, and no one knows how many of them will want a REAL ID.”

New Jersey was one of four states that, until last fall, had not yet provided REAL IDs. The federal government granted extensions to New Jersey, Maine, Oklahoma and Oregon to comply.

The state also has developed another list of things you need to know. Bottom line: Getting one won't be as easy as you might have thought (see list of things you need to know below).

And even with the eventual rollout, the Motor Vehicle Commission is expecting a lot of long lines to get the new REAL ID driver's license, which has a gold star on it.

New Jersey officials say they're still working hard to develop an orderly transition that won't create too many of the inevitable long lines that have happened in the 40-plus states that have already issued REAL IDs.

Fulton acknowledged that New Jersey was slow in setting up the process to obtain a REAL ID, but "we are on track to become the most successful in the country."

She said the technological systems in place were not adequate or updated enough to begin the process, suggesting that the Chris Christie administration had not done enough to get the MVC ready.

Here is what else you must know:

• Fulton said the rollout will still be "phased-in," but you can start the process of obtaining a REAL ID right now.
• You need to make an appointment by going to https://www.realidnj.com and filling out a short form.
• You will get an email asking if you want to participate in the testing at the eight agencies after you sign up.
• Once the MVC determines that the REAL ID works at an agency, that agency will offer it to anybody.
• Obtaining a REAL ID at an agency should take about 20 minutes.
• To get a REAL ID, you need to bring two proofs of residential address, one proof of your Social Security number and six points of ID.
• The REAL ID looks like your traditional New Jersey driver license or ID, but with a gold star in the upper right corner. The standard driver's license or ID looks similar, but instead of a gold star, it will have the words NOT FOR “REAL ID” PURPOSES written on it. Both the REAL ID driver's license and the standard driver's license are valid for driving. Here is what it will look like:

• There will be an $11 fee associated with changing your standard NJ driver's license or non-driver ID to a REAL ID if not done at renewal.
• You will eventually get a REAL ID driver's license or non-driver ID prior to the expiration of your current driver's license or ID by visiting any New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission Agency. This REAL ID driver's license or ID will expire upon your current expiration date.
• You are not required to get a REAL ID. However, starting Oct. 1, 2020, if you typically use your driver's license or non-driver ID (instead of a passport or other form of ID) to fly domestically, you probably want a REAL ID. Otherwise, you will need to use other acceptable identification such as a valid U.S. passport or military ID. The standard New Jersey driver's license can still be used for driving.
• REAL IDs are best for those who typically use their driver's license or non-driver ID (instead of a passport or other forms of ID) to fly domestically.
• If your current driver's license or non-driver ID expires after Sept. 30, 2020, you can wait until renewal time. After that date, you'll need to use a passport or another form of acceptable identification for domestic air travel if you haven’t changed to a REAL ID driver license or ID.
• It is a federal requirement for security purposes that MVC scan the documents and keep them securely stored in an encrypted format.
• Your identification documents will be verified and, under certain circumstances, shared with the federal government. You can find out more by visiting the website https://www.realidnj.com.
• The MVC recommends you visit the agency during the middle of the month to potentially reduce your waiting time.
• The MVC will be adding more online services so drivers don’t have to visit an agency for certain transactions, such as renewing a standard driver's license or non-driver ID. So check the website to see if you can skip the trip to the MVC.
• The MVC is increasing staffing so it can serve people more quickly if you have to come to the agency in person. If you are getting a REAL ID for the first time, you will have to visit an MVC agency.