New Jersey Issues 300,000 REAL IDs in Four Months as Wait Times Drop to 40 Days

New Jersey processed over 300,000 REAL ID applications during the first four months under Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s administration. Wait times have plummeted from 75 days down to 40. The state now counts 2.5 million REAL ID holders among its 6 million licensed drivers.

Acting Motor Vehicle Commission Chief Administrator Rosalie Johnson announced these shifts Thursday at the main state office in Trenton. Licensed drivers and identification card holders with a REAL ID grew from 24% at the year’s start to almost 28%.

“We are at 40 days on average to get the REAL ID appointment, from 75, and we are going to continue to move the needle on that,” Johnson said, according to WHYY.

The commission distributed more than 73,000 REAL IDs in April. May saw over 100,000 — the biggest one-month total ever recorded. Federal law mandates a REAL ID driver’s license or passport for passing through airport checkpoints and boarding commercial flights.

In April, the agency started allowing customers to provide proof of residence through electronic means as part of the REAL ID process. After that shift took effect, customers required to return for a second appointment dropped from 15% to 8%.

“We continue to see more and more people — about 7,000 a month right now — that don’t need to come back again for a second appointment,” Johnson said. “That’s 7,000 more appointments that are going to be open, and that number is going to continue to improve and grow.”

The reduction equals about 279 fewer return visits each day, or roughly 6,700 fewer transactions per month. The commission also expanded REAL ID services to four agencies in Trenton, Medford, South Brunswick, and Springfield, which had been used for vehicle services only.

Sherrill said she heard complaints during her campaign about the difficulty of getting appointments. “I heard stories during the campaign of people who were being told it would be faster to get a passport than to get an appointment for REAL ID,” Sherrill said, according to NJ.com.

Wait times vary by location. Some spots like Mercer County have 10-day waits. Others have 15 to 20 days. The longest wait times remain in North Jersey because of population density.

Travelers who show up at airports without a REAL ID or passport face longer wait times and must pay a $45 security fee. The Transportation Security Administration began requiring REAL ID-compliant documents for domestic air travel on May 7, 2025.

The post New Jersey Issues 300,000 REAL IDs in Four Months as Wait Times Drop to 40 Days appeared first on WMTR AM.