New Timeframe For Big NJ Driver's License Changes, REAL ID

NEW JERSEY – Looks like New Jersey just isn't ready yet to make the big changes to driver's licenses that many other states already have in place. But it's getting closer – even though the deadline to comply is lurking.

New Jersey had hoped to roll out REAL IDs, which will bring big changes to your driver's licenses, by the end of May or early June. Three months later, the Motor Vehicle Commission says they're still not ready.

But September just could be our lucky month. The new target date for issuing Real IDs is September, MVC officials say.

Really, the MVC doesn't have much of a choice at this point. New Jersey has had an extension to comply with the federal regulations mandating the issuance of REAL IDs by October 10.

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

Read more: REAL ID Guide For NJ: Do This Before Oct. 1, 2020 (UPDATED)

MVC officials say they plan to start testing with the public sometime in September. A few MVC offices will soon offer appointment times to the public to obtain REAL ID licenses.

Jim Hooker, an MVC spokesman, has said public beta-testing of the REAL ID will take place at various locations, but he didn't offer a more specific timeline or sites.

MVC employees are training and getting familiar with the new systems that are intended to help put REAL IDs in place and, Chief Administrator Sue Fulton told NJ101.5, "They’re getting faster and faster." She said REAL ID has been in beta-testing and the MVC has "fixed a lot of bugs."

Hooker has said the agency so far has issued REAL ID licenses only to "internal volunteers" who still have to pay the required fees. But they're acting as test cases to make sure the system works.

The move is part of the MVC's computer software testing to "ensure that the systems are working as expected and that our employees are properly trained," he said.

"These are 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 is one of four states that does not yet provide REAL IDs. The federal government has granted extensions to New Jersey, Maine, Oklahoma and Oregon to comply.

Anyone who’d like to be notified when an agency near you starts offering REAL ID can sign up at REALIDNJ.com.

The state also has developed a whole list of things you need to know right now. Bottom line: Getting one won't be as easy as you might have thought (see list of 16 things you need to know below).

You're going to need all sorts of identification, you're going to need time, you're going to need to know where to go (and if you can do it online) and you're probably going to need to bring some extra money with you to the MVC.

And with the eventual roll out, the Motor Vehicle Commission is expecting a lot of long lines to get the new REAL ID driver's license with a gold star stuck to 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.

Here is what you must know:

• 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 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 license and the standard driver license are valid for driving. Here is what it will look like:

• During beta testing, the MVC will be issuing actual REAL ID licenses and IDs. You can find out more – and sign up to be notified when the agency near you starts issuing – at REALIDNJ.com.
• There will be an $11 fee associated with changing your standard NJ driver license or non-driver ID to a REAL ID if not done at renewal.
• You can get a REAL ID driver license or non-driver ID prior to the expiration of your current driver license or ID by visiting any New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission Agency. This REAL ID driver license or ID will expire upon your current expiration date. Sign up to be notified when the agency nearest you starts issuing REAL ID.
• You are not required to get a REAL ID. However, starting October 1, 2020, if you typically use your driver 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 license can still be used for driving.
• REAL IDs are best for those who typically use their driver license or non-driver ID (instead of a passport or other forms of ID) to fly domestically.
• If your current driver license or non-driver ID expires after September 30, 2020, you can wait until renewal time, but you’ll need to use a passport or another form of acceptable identification for domestic air travel in the interim. Or, you can come into an agency sooner to change to a REAL ID driver license or ID.
• People are probably familiar with what they currently need to provide at the Motor Vehicle Commission agency as proof of identification for a standard ID. They need to have a verifiable Social Security Number, they need to provide one document as proof of address and they need to provide identity documents that add up to 6 points according to the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission guidelines.
• You will need to bring the following with you to get a REAL ID: two documents as proof of your address; one document as proof of your Social Security Number; identity documents that add up to six REAL ID points. Please check back at REALIDNJ.com soon for a link to an online calculator which will help you choose exactly what documents you will need to bring to a New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission agency for REAL 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.dhs.gov/real-id.
• To get your first REAL ID driver license or non-driver ID, you will have to visit a New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission agency. 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 license or non-driver ID. So check the website to see if you can skip the trip to Motor Vehicle.
• The MVC is increasing staffing so that 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.
• By federal law, people who are 18 and older after September 30, 2020, will need a REAL ID to fly domestically if you do not have a valid passport to use. More information can be found on the federal DHS website.