West Deptford MVC Now Issuing REAL IDs

WEST DEPTFORD, NJ — The Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) agency in West Deptford is now issuing New Jersey REAL IDs by appointment, according to the MVC. It is one of 17 agencies statewide that is now fully compliant with the system.

Congress passed the REAL ID Act in 2005 in line with the 9/11 Commission’s recommendation that the federal government set standards for the issuance of sources of identification, such as driver's licenses.

The Department of Homeland Security announced a phase-in plan to implement the act nationally in 2013, with a deadline of Oct. 1, 2020, for all states to become part of the REAL ID system.

In New Jersey, the MVC said it's expanding its services every week and adding appointments as quickly as the "next day" — not three months, according to William Connolly, a spokesman for the agency.

Connolly was responding to an NJAdvance Media report that only two agencies had appointments available before February 2020. The spokesman said the department is adding new appointment slots "all the time" as the MVC's phased-in rollout of REAL ID continues.

The MVC is addressing concerns, in part, by adding two to three agencies every week, except for the week between Christmas and New Year’s. This includes the West Deptford agency, which is located at 215 Crown Point Road in Thorofare, near Exit 20 off I-295.

Other MVC locations issuing REAL ID include:

• Bayonne
• Camden
• Cherry Hill
• Delanco
• East Orange
• Eatontown
• Flemington
• Freehold
• Hazlet
• Manahawkin
• Medford
• South Brunswick
• Springfield
• Somerville
• South Plainfield
• Trenton

In addition, the MVC has one agency in testing.

"The MVC is always adding REAL ID appointment slots, so customers should keep trying," Connolly said. "In fact, we booked over 600 new appointments" in one day two weeks ago.

Read more here: New, Updated Changes For NJ Driver’s Licenses, REAL ID Wait Times