Prepare your documents for a smooth REAL ID appointment

☑️ NJ MVC still processing 22,000 REAL ID requests weekly ahead of federal deadline

✈️ “Real ID Tuesdays/Thursdays” and emergency issuance days remain in place

📅 No-shows clog appointment system as residents book multiple slots and skip them

Real ID driver's licenses are still a popular item at NJ MVC offices

As the clock ticked towards the deadline last spring when a Real ID license was required to fly and enter government facilities, demand ran high for coveted appointments. The MVC is still issuing about 22,000 new Real IDs weekly, according to spokesman William Connolly.

About 20,000 non-renewal and 79,000 renewal appointments for Real ID are available. The special programs created in the spring to accommodate as many as people as possible are still in place.

"We have dedicated Real ID Tuesdays and Thursdays at licensing centers. We've got a Real ID emergency issuance program for those who have urgent travel needs within the next two weeks," Connolly told New Jersey 101.5. " And we've also launched more mobile unit events focused on Real ID issuance. So all these initiatives that we launched in the spring remain active and ongoing to service a high demand."

Connolly said some of the same issues that slowed down the Real ID process in the spring are still happening now. The situation can be avoided by being familiar with the Real ID process. The website nj.gov/mvc/realid/ is a good starting point.

The site includes a document selector that walks someone through all the requirements and double-checks that you have what you need.

Customers need to bring:

• Two proofs of residency
• A verifiable Social Security number that we check with the Social Security Administration, and then identity documents that add up to six points of ID
• A REAL ID can not be issued useless all the federal requirements

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MVC asks customers to cancel no-show appointments

It should take a well-prepared customer about 45 minutes to complete the Real ID process. Connolly says you should arrive 15 minutes ahead of your appointment.

"We want customers to be prepared, and the more customers can be prepared when they come in for their appointment to get their Real ID, the better it is for everyone, for our employees and for other customers, this whole process goes a lot more smoothly," Connolly said.

Connolly said that not everyone needs to have a Real ID license and that a valid passport will get a flyer to their destination, too.

The MVC is encountering an increasing number of no-shows for appointments. Because an appointment can be hard to get people make multiple appointments but only keep one.

"We encourage customers, if you can't make your appointment, cancel or reschedule it within our system, so that we can open up that appointment slot for other people," Connolly said.

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