What’s the hottest and toughest ticket to get in Jersey this week? It’s not for the next Taylor Swift concert series.
It’s an appointment at a state Motor Vehicle Commissions agency to get a Real ID driver’s license or identification card that will be required for domestic air travel on May 7.
Appointments to upgrade a standard driver’s license or identification card to a Real ID document have been flying off the MVC website this week.
“Since the TSA announced earlier this week that the phased enforcement of Real ID will begin on May 7, 2025, the MVC has seen an increase in demand for Real ID appointments,“ said William Connolly, an MVC spokesman, on Friday.
These licenses and ID cards meet the requirements of the 2005 Real ID act to create a more secure document in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Passports and Gobal Entry cards also meet those requirements.
Typically the MVC has over 80,000 appointments available for the three transactions to get a new Real ID license, upgrade an existing document to a Real ID or schedule an appointment to do that at a mobile MVC agency, he said.
“We add approximately 3,000 new appointments each day,” he said.
But those appointments have been quickly snapped up as fast as Super Bowl tickets.
On Thursday, at 7:58 a.m.,all 28 MVC licensing centers had appointments open to upgrade a standard driver’s license to a Real ID license, according to the MVC website. By 10:25 a.m., 18 MVC agencies had no appointments available.
Friday, the MVC website showed similar results; by 10:20 a.m., there were no appointments at half the licensing centers, by the afternoon only 10 had any appointments available.
“We will continue to monitor appointment availability and optimize the mix of appointments, in accordance with demand,” Connolly said.
“We strongly encourage those individuals who are due for renewal (within three months of expiration) to consider upgrading to a Real ID at a license renewal appointment now,” he said.
Driver’s license renewal appointments, which allow a driver to upgrade to a Real ID document, are far more plentiful. As of 3:15 p.m., Friday the MVC website showed all 28 agencies had appointments available for this transaction.
People applying for their first driver’s license can ask for a Real ID license after they pass the road test and bring the proper documentation, as can drivers moving in from another state and getting a New Jersey license, Connolly said.
As of January 13, 2025, the MVC has issued 7.869 million licenses and IDs, that includes 1.181 million Real ID-compliant licenses and IDs, that can be used to board domestic airliners and enter certain federal facilities after May 7, Connolly said.
The remaining 6.688 million standard licenses and ID cards issued are non-Real ID documents and labeled “Not for REAL ID’ Purposes,” he said. The Real ID license and ID cards have a star at top right corner.
Nationally, Transportation Security Administration officials adopted a new rule Monday that allows a “phased-in” enforcement of Real ID provisions because they estimate on 70% of ID card holders will have a Real ID document by May 7.
While the rule does not extend the May 7 deadline, it does allow the TSA and other agencies leeway on enforcing the mandate. How that will be done has not been revealed.
The Department of Homeland Security has pushed back the Real ID implementation deadline three times in the past six years. Officials said that is not likely to happen again.
Stories by Larry Higgs
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Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on X @CommutingLarry.