No REAL ID? That'll be $45.

[Debbie Jean]

Did you have any issues with Medicare or Social Security?

Nope, not a one. Seriously, it’s just NJ I think.

And to add…. I think that probably annoys me most… I’ve had a valid passport for decades and the federal government doesn’t have any issue… it’s at the darn state level!

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

The passport is certainly valid. But what will you do if you have to fly while your passport is being renewed? Even if you do it online, your old passport is no longer valid once you submit your application. Obviously you can PLAN trips around it, but what about an emergency situation?

That's why I went ahead and upgraded early in NY. My last renewal was during shutdown, so it was done by mail and there was no way to upgrade. I looked at my expiration dates - passport in 2027, DL in 2028. Given that my parents live in another state and flying is my only way to get there, I didn't want to chance being caught without my DL being upgraded while my passport was out for renewal, so I just went ahead and did it. At least in NY it was just an upgrade - I paid a reduced fee and the expiration date remains the same as it was.

I think your point is a good one to bring up that expiration dates can make things tricky most especially as we have a standardized passport expiration date system but not one for states as they can vary.

For me 2028 is when everything is up for renewal, my REAL ID passport and global entry. We'll see if I can do those online. For our state the first time you get a REAL ID you have to go into the DMV but after that your next renewal can be online (after that you have to go in person, then you can do online, then in person, etc you get the picture).

All that said you mentioned that your parents live state and flying is the only way to get there unless it's Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico, Guam you can drive there (unless I guess you don't actually have a DL). You may not want to and it may take a long time to get there but you could do it meaning actually speaking that a plane isn't the only method. Plenty of people drive incredibly long distances over flying either because flying is too costly, they don't plan on getting REAL ID (or have another acceptable documentation), have other reasons where flying is not practical such as animals that cannot or should not fly, or children that can't fly well, or many other reasons.

Of course I would suggest people truly get REAL ID because like you said if you're a flyer and the timing becomes an issue with the expiration date, that said at least at this moment TSA will accept an expired passport up to 2 yrs if that's the only ID you've got so for the PP they should work...although I don't know if this fee will then be assessed to them or if TSA will treat the expired passport as a-okay there.

 

[Dug720]

All that said you mentioned that your parents live state and flying is the only way to get there unless it's Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico, Guam you can drive there (unless I guess you don't actually have a DL). You may not want to and it may take a long time to get there but you could do it meaning actually speaking that a plane isn't the only method. Plenty of people drive incredibly long distances over flying either because flying is too costly, they don't plan on getting REAL ID (or have another acceptable documentation), have other reasons where flying is not practical such as animals that cannot or should not fly, or children that can't fly well, or many other reasons.

I have no car and have not driven since 2006 when I moved to NYC. A rental car during a time of stress is not the time to re-learn. And even though Nashville is the capital of TN, they don't have an Amtrak station - the closest are Memphis or Dyersburg which are several hours away. So yeah, flying is *my* only option.

 

[tvguy]

Nope, not a one. Seriously, it’s just NJ I think.

And to add…. I think that probably annoys me most… I’ve had a valid passport for decades and the federal government doesn’t have any issue… it’s at the darn state level!

You didn't need the birth certificate if you have a Passport.

 

[Debbie Jean]

You didn't need the birth certificate if you have a Passport.

In NJ it’s all about the points and what counts for what. When I finally got an appointment I brought everything… passports, old and new, utility bills, bank statements, property tax documents, birth certificate, social security card, insurance cards, divorce decree, etc. I just kept handing over documents until the clerk told me she had the right amount of points in the right denominations. I went with a stack!

In the end, I got it but holy crows I don’t want to have to go through that again!

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I have no car and have not driven since 2006 when I moved to NYC. A rental car during a time of stress is not the time to re-learn. And even though Nashville is the capital of TN, they don't have an Amtrak station - the closest are Memphis or Dyersburg which are several hours away. So yeah, flying is *my* only option.

That I can understand and was what I was thinking with the NY mention, but for the vast majority of the people flying last minute is typically not the easiest from price point to flight schedules. Using an emergency viewpoint it would have been way harder to go to Minneapolis/St. Paul for a funeral last minute years back than it was for us to drive the 7 hours. As we all learned during the shutdown flying would not have been the route to go for a month and a half on an emergency situation. I won't even entertain Amtrak as a viable option because of the abysmal state of train travel here lol. It's certainly isn't going to get you there efficiently.

But on the flipside here talking about practicality for all that we can say about someone should have a REAL ID in the event of an emergency and they need to fly knowing you can confidently drive if you need to is also a valuable thing to have in the case of emergencies (just as a devil's advocate to your valid point about expiration dates).

 

[kdonnel]

In NJ it’s all about the points and what counts for what. When I finally got an appointment I brought everything… passports, old and new, utility bills, bank statements, property tax documents, birth certificate, social security card, insurance cards, divorce decree, etc. I just kept handing over documents until the clerk told me she had the right amount of points in the right denominations. I went with a stack!

In the end, I got it but holy crows I don’t want to have to go through that again!

For all the problems everyone has mentioned about NJ, they do provide an easy to follow flow chart for the needed documents and allow you to reuse the step 1 and 2 documents for step 3 reducing how many documents are needed.



Someone 18+ already with a NJ non REAL ID license could get by with only 4 total documents. Current license, bank statement, SS card, birth certificate. It doesn't say a marriage license is required to match the birth certificate but maybe that would be required as well if your name has changed. But those older might struggle to get a birth certificate.

For those under 18 it looks a little tougher to satisfy Step 1. Easiest path would be getting a checking or savings account and the statement from parents. They would at least be able to easily get a birth certificate, social security card, and waiver certificate from the school.

 

[VGCgroupie]

I mean it should be more money TBH, or they shouldn't be allowed to fly. This has been news for a very very long time. It's not a surprise by any means. People need to learn to take responsibility for being irresponsible.

 

[mjkacmom]

For all the problems everyone has mentioned about NJ, they do provide an easy to follow flow chart for the needed documents and allow you to reuse the step 1 and 2 documents for step 3 reducing how many documents are needed.

View attachment 1028650

Someone 18+ already with a NJ non REAL ID license could get by with only 4 total documents. Current license, bank statement, SS card, birth certificate. It doesn't say a marriage license is required to match the birth certificate but maybe that would be required as well if your name has changed. But those older might struggle to get a birth certificate.

For those under 18 it looks a little tougher to satisfy Step 1. Easiest path would be getting a checking or savings account and the statement from parents. They would at least be able to easily get a birth certificate, social security card, and waiver certificate from the school.

NJ requires so much documentation for a regular license that providing documentation for real ID is nothing (and I couldn’t use my birth certificate for a regular license since I didn’t have my marriage certificate so I doubt it would be allowed without a marriage certificate for a real ID license). It’s a combination of getting appointments and spending hours at a old crowded unpleasant MVC office, line after line.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

In NJ it’s all about the points and what counts for what. When I finally got an appointment I brought everything… passports, old and new, utility bills, bank statements, property tax documents, birth certificate, social security card, insurance cards, divorce decree, etc. I just kept handing over documents until the clerk told me she had the right amount of points in the right denominations. I went with a stack!

In the end, I got it but holy crows I don’t want to have to go through that again!

Long comment here but it's because of cut and paste requirements being listed.

I do think the appointment process is ridiculously silly however to present a different perspective I don't think the documentation requirements in New Jersey for REAL ID aren't being presented in fairness of their difficulty. I think the format is pretty different in how they are asking for it with the points but the actual documents seem very similar to what is being asked for in my state of Kansas. They did make it more confusing IMO to use a weird point system when it could have been more clearly done but yeah.

In NJ they actually allow for much more varied types of documentation than my state which has a more limited scope in what will count. I do find my state to be more to the point in what they are asking for though.

For my state of Kansas:
1.) You will need to provide proof of lawful presence.
Please select ONE from the list below:

• State Issued Birth Certificate
• Unexpired U.S. Passport
• Unexpired Permanent Resident Card
• Unexpired Employment Authorization Card
• Naturalization Certificate
• Consular Report of Birth Abroad (FS-240)

2.) You must provide proof of your Social Security Number.
Please select ONE document from the list below:

• Social Security Card
• Current W-2 or 1099 showing full Social Security Number
• Current pay stub showing full Social Security Number

3.) You MUST provide two proofs of current Kansas residential address. Proof must be dated within the last year.
Junk mail or personal letters will not be accepted.

The following are examples of documents that can be used to prove Kansas residency:

• Rent or Lease Agreement
• Renewal Postcard
• Vehicle Registration
• Utility Bill
• Financial Institution Documents (Bank Statement, Deed, or Mortgage)

4.) If your name is different than documents in number one above, (due to adoption, marriage, divorce, court ordered name change, or is not the same on all of your documents) you MUST provide proof of the name change.

The following are a few documents that will be accepted to prove a legal name change:

• Certified State Issued Marriage Certificate
• Court Ordered Divorce Decree
• Any Court Ordered or Legal Name Change Documents
• Legal Adoption Paperwork

For New Jersey below

Step 1: Prove your address​

Applicants must provide two of the following documents as proof of address:

• A valid New Jersey driver’s license or MVC-issued driver license renewal form displaying a residential address.
• A utility or credit card bill issued within the past 90 days.
• A bank or credit union statement issued within the past 60 days.
• An original, unexpired lease or rental agreement.
• Tax-related documents or government correspondence received within the past year.
• First-class mail from a government agency within the past six months.
• A statement from a parent or guardian certifying the applicant’s address (for those under 18).

Step 2: Provide proof of your SSN​

Applicants must show one of the following:

• A Social Security card.
• A pay stub with the full Social Security number.
• A W-2 or 1099 form issued within the past year. Alternatively, applicants can enter their Social Security number directly on the application, and the MVC will verify it electronically.

Step 3: Verify your identity with six points​

To meet the six-point requirement, applicants must present a combination of primary and secondary identity documents. Examples include:

1pts (can't use more than 2 of these documents that count as 1 pt)

• Unexpired standard photo driver license from NJ or any state, or US Territory, and the District of Columbia
• Unexpired standard non-driver identification card from NJ only
• Social Security card
• Bank/credit union statement or record (within the past 60 days)
• ATM/debit card with preprinted name and applicant’s signature (ATM/debit card and bank statement cannot be submitted together)
• Current health insurance card or prescription card displaying applicant’s name
• Current employee identification card with pay stub
• State professional license
• NJ public assistance card with photo (also known as an NJ Social Services identification card)
• High school diploma, GED or college degree
• Property tax statement, bill or receipt issued by an NJ municipality
• For NJ high school students: a waiver certificate for the written portion of the driver’s test
• Veterans Administration universal access photo identification card

2 pts

• Unexpired federal government employee driver license
• Unexpired federal government employee photoidentification card
• US military discharge papers (Form DD-214)
• FAA pilot license
• US school photo identification card with transcript or school records
• US college photo identification card with transcript
• Current Permanent Resident Card (Form I-551)issued by INS (without expiration date)

3pts

• Legal name change court order signed by a judge or court clerk
• Civil marriage or civil union certificate or divorce decree
• US adoption papers
• Current US military photo identification card
• Current US military dependent card
• US military photo retiree card
• NJ firearm purchaser card

4pts

• Unexpired US passport or passport card
• US or US Territory birth certificate certified copy filed with a state office of vital statistics or equivalent agency in the individual’s state of birth
• US Department of State birth certificate (Form FS-545 or DS-1350)
• US Department of State Consular Report of Birth Abroad (Form FS-240)
• Certificate of Naturalization (Form N-550, N-578,or N-570)
• Certificate of Citizenship (Form N-560 or N-561)
• Current Permanent Resident Card (Form I-551)issued by USCIS (with expiration date)
• Unexpired foreign passport with valid visa andI-94 (stamp or form version)
• Current photo employment authorization card(USCIS Form I-688B or I-766)

If I match the order from my state NJ's Step 3 is under bullet point 1 for my state. Step 2 for NJ is under the same bullet point of 2 for my state and Step 1 for NJ is under bullet point 3 for my state.

They actually appear to be asking for less documentation than my state since you are able to use a document under Step 1 or Step 2 to get to the six points if one of those documents is listed there as well. In my state a DL doesn't count as your proof of residency like it does in NJ, the renewal postcard does but not the actual DL.

If I use their points system and apply it to my state then a passport that can be used for your identity (bullet point one for my state) is 4 points, a renewal postcard for your DL is 1 point (bullet point three for my state) and a property tax document is 1 point (bullet point three for my state). Or a birth certificate is 4 points (bullet point one for my state), a bank statement is 1 point (bullet point three for my state) and a SSN card is 1 point (bullet point two for my state). Both of those examples gets you to the 6 points needed. Also the ability to have your SSN verified electronically is not an option in my state. You have to provide under bullet point two one of those documents that has your SSN physically there. These are just examples but the way you describe what you handed over is no different than what I had with me too. The difference was my state had collected parts of necessary information over the years prior and so while I had with me a manila full of documents I personally only needed to supply two (my passport in my married name and my DL renewal postcard in my married name as the other proofs had been provided in the years before at other renewal timeframes and when I changed my name when I got married).