NJMVC to Allow “REAL ID” Walk-ins on a Test Basis

TRENTON – New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission Chief Administrator Sue Fulton Feb. 3 announced the commission will 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.
According to a release, such “walk-ins” will be allowed only for renewals, only on selected dates and only at participating locations.
One of those listed sites is the Rio Grande MVC Office, which is located at 3305 Bayshore Road, North Cape May.
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. 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.
REAL ID appointments, which are scheduled online and have been in place since the phased rollout was launched in September 2019, will continue.
“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 stated. “We have steadily built our capacity and are now ready to accommodate walk-ins on a limited basis.”
Fulton announced that interest in obtaining a REAL ID is high, revealing that over 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 stated. “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.’’
Customers should check back frequently at REALIDNJ.com for updates and added agencies.
Fulton noted that 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 stated. “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.’’
REAL ID is the federally mandated identification that puts in place stricter federal security standards for driver licenses and IDs. 
Passengers will need a REAL ID to fly domestically in the U.S. as of Oct. 1, 2020; unless a valid U.S. passport or another federally approved form of identification is used.
‘‘No one is required to have a REAL ID,’’ Fulton stated. “However, if you plan to fly domestically after Sept. 30, 2020, you will need either a REAL ID, a valid passport, or some other form of ID that the federal government has approved for such travel.’’
“We will continue to offer standard New Jersey driver licenses,” Fulton stated, emphasizing that those licenses will remain valid for driving. 
“The standard driver licenses, however, will no longer meet federal standards for boarding commercial airliners beginning Oct. 1, 2020.”