March 05, 2025
Provided Image/Transportation Security Administration
Pennsylvania and New Jersey are expanding Real ID appointment opportunities in the months leading up to a May 7 deadline in which a standard driver's license will no longer be an acceptable form of identification for air travel. Above, a sample image of a New Jersey Real ID.
Beginning May 7, a standard driver's license will no longer be an acceptable form of identification to fly, and U.S. travelers must provide a Real ID, passport or other federally approved verification, including a military ID, to board domestic flights. With the deadline looming, states are holding events over the next couple months to help residents upgrade their licenses to make them compliant to the new rules.
In 2005, Congress passed the Real ID Act, a law aiming to implement stricter security standards for state driver's licenses and ID cards. Implementation of the law faced several delays, as the federal government intended to enforce it in 2008, then in October 2020, then in October 2021. Its most recent deadline was May 3, 2023, before being pushed back to this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With the deadline just two months away, this date seems likely to stick.
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To encourage residents to obtain their Real IDs — which differ from standard licenses by the star emblem in the top right corner — and ease the process, there are several events being held throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Real ID Days will be held across Pennsylvania, offering special dedicated times at driver's license centers to help residents get their Real IDs. Each event will be held Mondays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and participants must bring the required documents (outlined below) to receive their Real ID. If the venue is a Real ID center, the license will be issued the same day at the event, but if it is not, it will be mailed within 15 business days.
Here are the events being held in Philly and the suburbs on the following Mondays leading up to May 7:
• March 10: Malvern Driver License Center: 225 Lancaster Avenue, Malvern
• March 10: Arch Street Driver License Center, 801 Arch Street, Philadelphia
• March 17: South 70th Street Driver License Center (Real ID center), 2904 South 70th Street, Unit 8, Philadelphia
• March 24: Whitman Plaza Driver License Center, 330 West Oregon Avenue, Philadelphia
• April 14: Dublin Driver License Center, 161 North Main Street, Dublin
• April 14: Bensalem Driver License Center, 4201 Neshaminy Boulevard, Bensalem
• April 14: Malvern Driver License Center, 225 Lancaster Avenue, Malvern
• April 14: Granite Run Driver License Center, 1097 West Baltimore Pike, Media
• April 14: Huntingdon Valley Driver License Center, 2022 County Line Road, Huntingdon Valley
• April 14: Norristown Driver License Center (Real ID center), 1700 Markley Street, Suite 30, Norristown
• April 14: King of Prussia Driver License Center (Real ID center), 143 South Gulph Road, King of Prussia
• April 14: Lawndale Driver License Center, 919-B Levick St B, Philadelphia
• April 14: Arch Street Driver License Center, 801 Arch Street, Philadelphia
• April 14: South 70th Street Driver License Center (Real ID center), 2904 South 70th Street, Unit 8, Philadelphia
• April 14: West Oak Lane Driver License Center, 7121 Ogontz Avenue, Philadelphia
• April 14: Whitman Plaza Driver License Center, 330 West Oregon Avenue, Ste 240, Philadelphia
• May 5: Dublin Driver License Center, 161 North Main Street, Dublin
• May 5: Bensalem Driver License Center, 4201 Neshaminy Boulevard, Bensalem
• May 5: Granite Run Driver License Center, 1097 West Baltimore Pike, Media
• May 5: Huntingdon Valley Driver License Center, 2022 County Line Road, Huntingdon Valley
• May 5: Norristown Driver License Center (Real ID center), 1700 Markley Street, Suite 30, Norristown
• May 5: King of Prussia Driver License Center (Real ID center), 143 South Gulph Road, King of Prussia
• May 5: Lawndale Driver License Center, 919-B Levick St B, Philadelphia
• May 5: Arch Street Driver License Center, 801 Arch Street, Philadelphia
• May 5: South 70th Street Driver License Center (Real ID center), 2904 South 70th Street, Unit 8, Philadelphia
• May 5: West Oak Lane Driver License Center, 7121 Ogontz Avenue, Philadelphia
• May 5: Whitman Plaza Driver License Center, 330 West Oregon Avenue, Ste 240, Philadelphia
Can't make it to a Real ID event? Not to worry! You can visit any Pennsylvania Department of Transportation driver's license center to have your documents verified and imaged, and then receive your Real ID within 15 business days. It's possible to apply online to have your Real ID sent to you, but only if your documents were already preverified. You can also visit a Real ID center — including the ones in King of Prussia, Norristown and Philadelphia — to have your documents verified and imaged, and receive your Real ID on the spot.
There is a one-time fee of $30, plus a renewal fee ($39.50 for a four-year non-commercial driver’s license or $42.50 for a photo ID).
The Real ID differs visually from a standard driver's license or photo ID by the star in the upper right corner. Above, a sample image of a Pennsylvania Real ID-compliant driver's license.
The New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission is launching Real ID Thursdays at licensing centers across the state to expand residents' access to receiving their Real ID ahead of the deadline. Starting March 20, NJMVC licensing centers will add nearly 4,500 new appointments every Thursday to try to accommodate the need for Real IDs. All IDs in New Jersey are mailed to customers, even if they were processed in person.
Appointments for Real ID Thursdays can be booked starting Friday, March 14, on the NJMVC website.
On Saturdays starting April 5, the NJMVC will also host a slate of REAL ID Mobile Unit events, with the locations to be announced at a later date.
In addition to those efforts to provide more availability, New Jersey residents can obtain a Real ID during regular business hours at all state licensing centers by appointment. While the New Jersey Real ID must first be obtained in person, it can be renewed online or by mail. In New Jersey, the Real ID costs $35.
There are several necessary documents necessary when applying for a Real ID in Pennsylvania or New Jersey, and they may differ from what's needed for a standard driver's license or photo ID.
In Pennsylvania, you need one document proving your identity and your lawful status in the United States (such as a birth certificate or U.S. passport); one proof of Social Security number (like a Social Security card or W-2 form); and two documents proving Pennsylvania residency (such as a driver's license or vehicle registration card). If your current legal name, date of birth, or gender designation is different from the information on your birth certificate, you must show legal proof of the change. The state has a Real ID document checklist online.
In New Jersey, you must bring two proofs of residential address (such as your driver's license, lease agreement or bank statement) and one proof of Social Security number (including Social Security card or W-2). You must also have six combined points from primary and secondary documents. Most primary documents, like a U.S. passport, are worth four points, and you can only use one. The other points can come from secondary documents like driver's license, debit card and high school diploma. The proof of residential address and Social Security number can count toward the six points, if applicable. The state has a checklist online.
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