Many in NJ finding it hard to get an MVC appointment for Real ID

New Jersey continues to expand the Real ID program to agencies across the state.

About 2,500 Real IDs have been issued since September. But many people who signed up to get a Real ID driver’s license, which will be necessary starting next year for passengers boarding planes without a passport, are finding it impossible to get an appointment.

Sue Fulton, the chief administrator of the Motor Vehicle Commission, said at this point the MVC is still in “roll-out mode” and “there is a lot more demand for Real ID than there is capacity right now. There’s just not enough appointment slots for people that want them.”

She explained after signing up at realidnj.com when you get an email from MVC indicating you can look for an appointment, the agency that is closest to you may be completely booked, which would mean you would have to consider going to another location.

But Fulton pointed out that as more MVC employees get trained in Real ID, more appointments are opening up all the time.

“Every day we add new appointment slots. We roll in another day of appointments because we’re doing this three months out," she said.

That means the MVC is scheduling Real ID appointments for the next three months, but every day new slots open.

“We’re adding new appointments that may have come up because we’ve added camera stations or a new agency, or just expanded our time slots, so we’re always adding new appointment — you should keep trying.”

A total of 16 MVC agencies are now issuing Real ID. They include South Brunswick, Trenton, Eatontown, Delanco, Medford, Cherry Hill, Bayonne and Flemington.

“We’re still at the beginning steps of this. We’re actually tracking just where we expect to be. We’re meeting projections knowing that this curve is only going to accelerate exponentially, so we ask people to keep trying. You have until October of 2020 before TSA is going to start requiring Real ID or a passport to get through airport security.”

She also said people with confirmed Real ID appointments continue to be turned away at agencies because you’ll need more than just your six points of identification.

“They’re not bringing the two proofs of address or they’re not bringing the proof of their Social Security number," she said.

She stressed all of this information is at realidnj.com.

“It will walk you through the items you need to bring and then you can print out a list to make sure that when you come for your appointment we don’t have to send you home.”

You can contact reporter David Matthau at David.Matthau@townsquaremedia.com