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CBS News
06-05-2025
- CBS News
Here's what New Jersey residents need to know about Real ID before flying Wednesday
What New Jersey residents need to know about Real ID What New Jersey residents need to know about Real ID What New Jersey residents need to know about Real ID The Real ID deadline is Wednesday, May 7, and New Jersey is said to have the lowest compliance of any state. All U.S. travelers are required to switch over to Real ID or use an enhanced form of identification, like a passport, to fly domestically starting Wednesday. But if you're hoping for a last-minute appointment, think again. Early Tuesday morning, the state's Motor Vehicle Commission website had no slots available until July. So what happens if you have to fly? "The best piece of advice I can give is go to click on that Real ID link. There's a very comprehensive and thorough list of all the IDs that are acceptable as Real ID, and I think some folks may be pleasantly surprised that they may have one of those," TSA Federal Security Director New Jersey Thomas Carter said Tuesday. Transportation Security Administration officials say travelers who show up at the airport without a valid form of ID will still be able to board domestic flights during this first phase, but they will face additional screening and wait times. "You will still be able to process through. That individual who is not Real ID compliant needs to plan for some enhanced screening that they may be going through at the checkpoint above and beyond the normal process," Carter said. "As the timeline moves from right to left, it is going to intensify, and eventually, whatever that timeline may be, a Real ID will be a must." So why are Real IDs happening now? "You have to go back to the horrific events of [September 11, 2001]. Every individual on those airplanes that committed the horrific act, somewhere along their journey used fraudulent ID," Carter said. The state's MVC says it will offer emergency appointments for travelers who need to board domestic flights within 14 days for life-or-death reasons or for urgent travel plans, like a family death. Those will only be available at the Trenton office, and there are no guarantees. Travelers at Newark Airport face delays as well as deadline Reminders about Real ID are all over Newark Liberty International Airport, where travelers have been dealing with delays and cancellations for more than a week. Alicia Powell and her family are grateful they're flying Tuesday, not Wednesday. "That would be worse for sure. We don't want any other reasons to be stuck at the airport," Powell said. Rush for Real ID appointments in New Jersey A CBS analysis conducted last month found that 30 states were less than 70% compliant ahead of the Real ID deadline. At last update, New Jersey was 17% compliant, and New York was 43% compliant. "The New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission has been working non-stop to help as many eligible New Jerseyans as possible obtain a Real ID. Our challenges are not unique to New Jersey--every state in the nation is facing similar pressures as the deadline approaches," NJMVC spokesperson William Connolly said last month. "Our state has made Real IDs available for the past five and a half years—since September 2019. We are currently issuing approximately 23,000 Real ID's per week and remain focused on delivering efficient service and to ensure that every eligible New Jerseyan can secure one." New Jersey's MVC added thousands of Real ID appointments on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays in the months leading up to the deadline, and it says hundreds of appointments are added each day. The Murphy administration has pointed to several reasons for the state's low compliance, including the fact that the it uses an appointment-based system, and that 79% of New Jersey residents already have passports, impacting how many need to get Real ID now. Additionally, some residents who are eligible for driver's licenses are not eligible for Real ID. At an MVC office in Rahway, some were still unable to get a Real ID appointment. "I am going to be traveling soon, and I waited until the last minute to get the Real ID. Right now, there is no appointments around New Jersey," Union County resident Manny Nunez said. "It got it. It is always good when I am traveling," Mark Cosmeus of Union County said. How to get a Real ID If you already have a New Jersey driver's license, visit the MVC website to make an appointment to upgrade to a Real ID. If your license expires within three months, you can get a Real ID at a license renewal appointment. If your license expires after that, you need to book a Real ID, non-renewal appointment. If you do not have a New Jersey driver's license, you can get a Real ID at a non-driver ID appointment. Residents who just moved to New Jersey can get a Real ID at an out-of-state transfer appointment, and new drivers can get one after passing their road test. Applicants will need to provide two proofs of residence, a verifiable Social Security number and certain identity documents that add up to 6 Real ID points. CLICK HERE for a closer look at what to bring.
CBS News
06-05-2025
- CBS News
Here's what New Jersey residents need to know about Real ID before flying tomorrow
The Real ID deadline is Wednesday, May 7, and New Jersey is said to have the lowest compliance of any state. All U.S. travelers are required to switch over to Real ID or use an enhanced form of identification, like a passport, to fly domestically starting Wednesday. But if you're hoping for a last-minute appointment, think again. Early Tuesday morning, the state's Motor Vehicle Commission website had no slots available until July. So what happens if you have to fly? Transportation Security Administration officials say travelers who show up at the airport without a valid form of ID will still be able to board domestic flights during this first phase, but they will face additional screening and wait times. "The best piece of advice I can give is go to click on the REAL ID link. There's a very comprehensive and thought out list for all the IDs that are acceptable to REAL ID, and I think some folks may be pleasantly surprised they have one of those, other than that drivers license that everyone seems to focus as the only ID," a TSA official told CBS News New York. The MVC also says it will offer emergency appointments for travelers who need to board domestic flights within 14 days for life-or-death reasons or for urgent travel plans, like a family death. Those will only be available at the Trenton office, and there are no guarantees. New Jersey Real ID appointment A CBS analysis conducted last month found that 30 states were less than 70% compliant ahead of the Real ID deadline. At last update, New Jersey was 17% compliant, and New York was 43% compliant. "The New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission has been working non-stop to help as many eligible New Jerseyans as possible obtain a Real ID. Our challenges are not unique to New Jersey--every state in the nation is facing similar pressures as the deadline approaches," NJMVC spokesperson William Connolly said last month. "Our state has made Real IDs available for the past five and a half years—since September 2019. We are currently issuing approximately 23,000 Real ID's per week and remain focused on delivering efficient service and to ensure that every eligible New Jerseyan can secure one." New Jersey's MVC added thousands of Real ID appointments on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays in the months leading up to the deadline, and it says hundreds of appointments are added each day. The Murphy administration has pointed to several reasons for the state's low compliance, including the fact that the it uses an appointment-based system, and that many New Jersey residents already have passports, impacting how many need to get Real ID now. Additionally, some residents who are eligible for driver's licenses are not eligible for Real ID. How to get a Real ID If you already have a New Jersey driver's license, visit the MVC website to make an appointment to upgrade to a Real ID. If your license expires within three months, you can get a Real ID at a license renewal appointment. If your license expires after that, you need to book a Real ID, non-renewal appointment. If you do not have a New Jersey driver's license, you can get a Real ID at a non-driver ID appointment. Residents who just moved to New Jersey can get a Real ID at an out-of-state transfer appointment, and new drivers can get one after passing their road test. Applicants will need to provide two proofs of residence, a verifiable Social Security number and certain identity documents that add up to 6 Real ID points. CLICK HERE for a closer look at what to bring.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘It's terrible': New Jerseyans scramble to get REAL IDs before this week's deadline
When Scott Case realized the REAL ID deadline was coming up this week, he decided to head to his local department of motor vehicles Monday morning. 'I've known about it and I've been putting it off, so some of it's on me,' the frequent business traveler from Collingswood, New Jersey, acknowledged to CNN. But during the frenzied final weeks before the federal government starts enforcing REAL ID regulations this Wednesday, Case and others are learning getting one at the last minute is a big challenge. 'I feel bad for anybody who doesn't have a passport,' said Case as he left without securing an ID. Congress passed the REAL ID Act in 2005 as a way to enhance security for identification, requiring new minimum standards for state-issued driver's licenses and IDs. While people without REAL IDs will still be able to drive using current non-compliant licenses and use that identification in other scenarios, REAL IDs will be required for domestic air travel for those without a valid passport or other approved identification. A sign by the door of the Motor Vehicle Commission office in Camden, New Jersey, tells residents they'll need to book appointments in advance. - Danny Freeman/CNN After years of pushing the deadline for Americans to get a REAL ID, the Department of Homeland Security says it will finally start enforcement May 7. From Illinois and Washington to Florida and Alabama, Americans across the country are encountering long lines as they scramble to get their REAL IDs before Wednesday. 'It's not gonna happen,' said driver Toe Cooper, from Burlington Township, New Jersey. A sign outlining the documentation necessary to get a REAL ID hangs in the Department of Motor Vehicles office in Troy, New York, on February 19. - Jim Franco/AlbanyAt the Motor Vehicle Commission – New Jersey's version of the Department of Motor Vehicles – in Camden, customers packed the small building trying to get a REAL ID. Cooper tried to walk in to get his Monday because he couldn't get an appointment online. 'I've been on there every night looking. There's nothing on there,' explained Cooper. 'You can get an appointment for anything else, but for REAL ID it said nothing is available,' he added. In a statement, the state's Motor Vehicle Commission said it has been 'working non-stop to help as many eligible New Jerseyans as possible' obtain a REAL ID. 'Demand is very high right now,' acknowledged commission spokesperson William Connolly. 'And our challenges are not unique to New Jersey – every state in the nation is facing similar pressures as enforcement approaches,' Connolly noted. The commission said the state is issuing roughly 25,000 REAL IDs per week with 'thousands of new appointments for REAL IDs opening up on our scheduler each morning on a rolling basis.' New Jersey also has 'dedicated REAL ID days' offering thousands of additional appointments and an expanded mobile unit program for driver services, including the new IDs, he said. Cooper couldn't get a REAL ID without an appointment, but even for those with appointments, frustration was not always avoidable. Bruce Beegal, from Brigantine, New Jersey, came to the office with his daughter to get her REAL ID on Monday. But at their appointment they were told they were missing one extra form of identification, and they couldn't complete the process. 'This is a joke,' said Beegal. 'What's going on here, it's terrible.' Beegal's daughter has a passport, so he's not worried about her boarding a plane, but he said he couldn't believe he might have to do this process again after the REAL ID enforcement deadline passes. 'It sucks,' he said. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at
CNN
06-05-2025
- Politics
- CNN
‘It's terrible': New Jerseyans scramble to get Real IDs before this week's deadline
When Scott Case realized the REAL ID deadline was coming up this week, he decided to head to his local department of motor vehicles Monday morning. 'I've known about it and I've been putting it off, so some of it's on me,' the frequent business traveler from Collingswood, New Jersey, acknowledged to CNN. But during the frenzied final weeks before the federal government starts enforcing REAL ID regulations this Wednesday, Case and others are learning getting one at the last minute is a big challenge. 'I feel bad for anybody who doesn't have a passport,' said Case as he left without securing an ID. Congress passed the REAL ID Act in 2005 as a way to enhance security for identification, requiring new minimum standards for state-issued driver's licenses and IDs. While people without REAL IDs will still be able to drive using current non-compliant licenses and use that identification in other scenarios, REAL IDs will be required for domestic air travel for those without a valid passport or other approved identification. After years of pushing the deadline for Americans to get a REAL ID, the Department of Homeland Security says it will finally start enforcement May 7. From Illinois and Washington to Florida and Alabama, Americans across the country are encountering long lines as they scramble to get their REAL IDs before Wednesday. 'It's not gonna happen,' said driver Toe Cooper, from Burlington Township, New Jersey. At the Motor Vehicle Commission – New Jersey's version of the Department of Motor Vehicles – in Camden, customers packed the small building trying to get a REAL ID. Cooper tried to walk in to get his Monday because he couldn't get an appointment online. 'I've been on there every night looking. There's nothing on there,' explained Cooper. 'You can get an appointment for anything else, but for REAL ID it said nothing is available,' he added. In a statement, the state's Motor Vehicle Commission said it has been 'working non-stop to help as many eligible New Jerseyans as possible' obtain a REAL ID. 'Demand is very high right now,' acknowledged commission spokesperson William Connolly. 'And our challenges are not unique to New Jersey – every state in the nation is facing similar pressures as enforcement approaches,' Connolly noted. The commission said the state is issuing roughly 25,000 REAL IDs per week with 'thousands of new appointments for REAL IDs opening up on our scheduler each morning on a rolling basis.' New Jersey also has 'dedicated REAL ID days' offering thousands of additional appointments and an expanded mobile unit program for driver services, including the new IDs, he said. Cooper couldn't get a REAL ID without an appointment, but even for those with appointments, frustration was not always avoidable. Bruce Beegal, from Brigantine, New Jersey, came to the office with his daughter to get her REAL ID on Monday. But at their appointment they were told they were missing one extra form of identification, and they couldn't complete the process. 'This is a joke,' said Beegal. 'What's going on here, it's terrible.' Beegal's daughter has a passport, so he's not worried about her boarding a plane, but he said he couldn't believe he might have to do this process again after the REAL ID enforcement deadline passes. 'It sucks,' he said.
New York Times
02-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
‘No Appointments Here': A Mad Dash to Get a Real ID Ahead of the Deadline
Some have logged on late at night. Others have driven for hours. And some have just given up. All in the hunt for a coveted appointment for a Real ID. Starting on Wednesday, travelers in the United States will need a Real ID, passport or other federally recognized document to board domestic flights, a requirement that has sent many Americans scrambling for the security-enhanced, star-emblazoned identification cards. Perhaps nowhere is the search for appointments as intense as it is in New Jersey, where just 17 percent of state-issued IDs are Real IDs, according to a recent CBS News analysis of data from state motor vehicle agencies across the country. No other state had a lower compliance rate. Melissa Sussko, 26, of Nutley, N.J., said the only reason she had managed to find an appointment for a Real ID at the Motor Vehicle Commision office in Wayne, N.J., was because a friend had recommended looking for openings on the agency's website at midnight. So she logged on at midnight and snagged one. Another friend, she said, was planning to drive to Cape May, on the southern tip of New Jersey, to get her Real ID at the only Motor Vehicle Commission office where she could find an appointment. 'Everyone I know is fighting to get one,' Ms. Sussko said. 'You can't find any, at all.' Al Sohi, 54, a driving instructor in North Caldwell, N.J., said he had given up looking for an appointment and planned to use his passport if he needed to travel. 'I wanted to get a Real ID; I can't find the appointment,' he said. 'It's terrible. They should do something to accommodate all the people who want a Real ID.' Some other states say they are also struggling to handle a surge of interest in Real IDs, as news spreads that the Department of Homeland Security will require the identification cards at airport checkpoints and federal facilities starting on Wednesday, after repeatedly extending the deadline for years. Long lines have been reported at motor vehicle offices in New York State, where 43 percent of state-issued IDs are Real IDs, and Maine, which has 27 percent compliance, according to the CBS data. Pennsylvania, which reported 26 percent compliance, has also faced a flood of applications. 'We have tens of thousands of folks weekly that are showing up at our driver's license centers to get the Real ID,' Michael B. Carroll, Pennsylvania's secretary of transportation, said at a recent news conference. 'It's a real challenge for us right now because folks have waited until the last minute.' CBS News found that 30 states were less than 70 percent compliant with the Real ID requirement. Officials in many of those states, including New Jersey, say they are working to accommodate everyone who needs a Real ID and emphasize that, for many, there is no reason to panic. 'Demand is very high right now, and our challenges are not unique to New Jersey — every state in the nation is facing similar pressures as enforcement approaches,' said William Connolly, a spokesman for the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. New Jersey has been issuing about 23,000 Real IDs per week and posting thousands of new appointments on its online scheduling tool each morning, Mr. Connolly said. New Jersey also has a Real ID 'emergency issuance program' for residents who have to fly within 14 days for 'life-or-death reasons' or have other 'urgent travel plans.' Officials expect demand for Real IDs to ease in the coming weeks and months. And many travelers may not need Real IDs to fly. Passengers will still be able to pass through airport security with other forms of acceptable identification such as a U.S. passport, a Global Entry card, a Department of Defense ID or a permanent resident card, according to the Transportation Security Administration. Travelers who only have standard state-issued driver's licenses should 'expect to face delays, additional screening and the possibility of not being permitted into the security checkpoint,' the T.S.A. said in a statement last month. The agency recommends that these passengers allow themselves an extra hour to pass through airport security and says, if possible, to bring another form of identification such as a birth certificate or a Social Security card. 'We have other ways to verify your identity if you don't have a Real ID or acceptable form of ID but know that this process may take longer, so you'll need to arrive at the airport early, and you should be good to go,' the T.S.A. said in a recent 'Ask Me Anything' session on Reddit aimed at easing anxiety around the Wednesday deadline. New Jersey officials say there are several reasons relatively few residents have gotten Real IDs, even though the state has been issuing them since 2019. For one, New Jersey is the state with the highest percentage of citizens with passports, 80 percent, according to data compiled by the Center for American Progress. Those people will not need a Real ID to board a plane if they show their passport. New Jersey also allows undocumented immigrants to get driver's licenses, but they cannot obtain a Real ID because the federal standards require proof of legal status. Residents in New Jersey can upgrade to a Real ID when renewing their licenses, but they are not required to. Some other states like Maryland, which has 99 percent Real ID compliance, require residents who are renewing to get Real IDs. To apply for a Real ID, people generally need to provide a Social Security number or proof of ineligibility, verify their address with utility bills, bank statements or other documents, and prove their identity and legal status with additional documents, including a birth certificate or a passport. Gathering those documents is one thing. Finding an appointment is another. 'I went online and no appointments here, no appointments in Wyckoff,' said Lou Petricone, 75, of Wayne, N.J., who has his Real ID but was hoping to get one for his wife. 'And my son-in-law is a principal in Nutley, and he had to go to Piscataway and he was there for three hours.'
