WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer is calling on the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission to expand access to REAL ID appointments statewide as a new $45 fee for certain travelers without compliant identification takes effect.
In a letter to MVC Acting Chief Administrator Rosalie Johnson, Gottheimer said New Jersey currently has the lowest REAL ID compliance rate in the country, with about 17% of residents holding a REAL ID-compliant license or identification card.
The Transportation Security Administration recently announced that travelers who arrive at airport security checkpoints without a REAL ID or other federally accepted identification may face a $45 fee, adding pressure on residents who have struggled to secure appointments.
“New Jersey residents deserve timely access to REAL ID appointments, especially now that Jersey families will get charged if they don’t have it,” Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) wrote in the letter to NJ MVC. “I recognize that Johnson just inherited this issue, but way too many residents still cannot get an appointment, with many MVC locations booked months in advance.”
According to Gottheimer’s office, as of February 2025, 21 of the state’s 28 MVC locations listed April 2026 as the earliest available appointment date.
Gov. Mikie Sherrill recently appointed Johnson to lead the MVC. In a prior role in Colorado, Johnson reduced DMV wait times and increased REAL ID compliance to 97%, according to Gottheimer’s office.
Gottheimer urged the MVC to take what he described as an “all-hands-on-deck” approach to address the backlog, including expanding appointment capacity, extending evening and weekend hours, deploying mobile and pop-up REAL ID services, and pursuing other solutions to increase access.
REAL ID-compliant identification meets federal security standards and is required for certain activities, including boarding domestic flights and entering some federal facilities.
