Note: This article has been updated to clarify that there are other federally accepted documents that can be used for travel identification.
NEW JERSEY — The deadline to get a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license has changed so many times it’s almost a punchline for a joke. Now, the date New Jersey residents need to remember is May 7, 2025.
After that date, if things stand as they are now, New Jersey residents without a REAL ID will need a valid passport or other federally accepted document to board domestic flights or enter nuclear power plants and certain federal buildings. (The Transportation Safety Administration has a list of federally accepted documents online.)
Congress passed the REAL ID Act, a recommendation of the 9/11 Commission, in 2005. It “establishes minimum security standards for state-issued driver’s licenses and identification cards, and prohibits federal agencies from accepting for official purposes licenses and identification cards from states that do not meet these standards.”
The REAL ID isn't a substitute for a passport required for international travel, and it also doesn't affect the ability to vote or register to vote, apply for federal benefits, enter federal facilities that don't require identification, obtain medical care, or participate in police proceedings or investigations.
Here are some things to know about REAL ID and the new deadline:
How Do I Know If I Have A REAL ID?
A REAL ID is distinguishable from a regular New Jersey driver’s license because it has a gold circle with a white star in the middle of the circle. That’s a shorthand way of saying a person’s citizenship and legal residence status have been verified.
How Do I Get A REAL ID?
REAL ID cards are issued at driver’s licensing stations in New Jersey. Those seeking them need to provide two proofs of the address of their address, proof of Social Security number or proof of lawful status to be in the United States, and proof of legal name and date of birth, which are required to fulfill NJ's six-point ID rules for a driver's license.
New Jersey has an online document checklist where you can pick the documents to fulfill both the residential address requirements and the six-point ID requirements.
For proof of residence, you can provide:
Financial information can be blacked out on the documents.
Proof of Social Security number can be:
For the six-point identity verification you need documents that verify your date of birth and your legal name, and that you are a United States citizen or permanent resident. One of these is needed in addition to your unexpired NJ driver's license.
If you provide a birth certificate but have changed your legal name, you will need to provide documents showing the name change, such as a marriage license or a court order signed by a judge showing the name change.
In addition, you need two secondary proofs of your identity. The online checklist will show when you have met all the requirements for proof of identity and address.
Why Is The Deadline So Fluid?
The Department of Homeland Security has extended the deadline for REAL ID-compliant driver’s licenses multiple times, most recently in late 2022 when the agency moved the implementation date back two years to May 7, 2025.
Homeland Security officials said COVID-19 pandemic-related backlogs have slowed states’ progress in issuing REAL ID-compliant driver’s licenses.
Those backlogs are greater in some states where driver’s license expiration dates were automatically extended, or by shifting operations to appointment only.
In New Jersey, same-day appointments became available in September.
Should I Just Wait Until 2025?
With the extended deadline now about a year and a half in the future, the temptation to put off getting a REAL ID may be great. But that could mean longer lines and more competition for appointments in places that require them.
Homeland Security officials estimated that by May 2023, the REAL ID compliance deadline before the latest extension, only about 56 percent of the U.S. population over age 18 would have obtained one.
William Connolly, an MVC spokesman, said New Jersey has more than 3,000 appointments available daily, for either those renewing licenses that expire within three months or those whose licenses expire later.
"We also offer REAL IDs through our expanded Mobile Unit program, which brings REAL ID processing and other MVC services directly to customers where they live in coordination with local authorities and community groups," Connolly said.
As of Dec. 31, New Jersey has issued 702,550 licenses and IDs are eligible as REAL ID compliant licenses and IDs, as indicated by the star in the top right corner.
Due to a variety of factors, including the relatively high number of passport holders in New Jersey, it is not clear how many eligible New Jersey residents will need or want to get a REAL ID.
"With federal REAL ID enforcement set for May 7, 2025, we especially encourage those customers with a license or ID coming up for renewal to consider upgrading to REAL ID," Connolly said.
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