New Drivers Licenses Coming To New Jersey

Lots of people find the 6-points of identification needed to renew a drivers license in New Jersey frustrating. Luckily, the federal government is getting involved now.

New Jersey will begin rolling-out new drivers licenses on May 7th that meet new, stricter federal guidelines. What does this mean for you? For starters, it depends on when you were born.

For federal purposes, your current New Jersey drivers license is valid (again, for federal purposes), until December 1, 2014, if you were born after December 1, 1964, or until December 1, 2017, for everyone else. After those dates, you won't be able to get on a plane or enter a federal building or facility without a new federally-compliant drivers license (or other valid document, like a passport).

If you are going to the Motor Vehicle Commission to renew your license soon, some of the documents that used to be valid towards the 6-points of identification will no longer be valid. For example, only valid U.S. passports will be accepted; expired passports will no longer be permissible. Things like gym memberships or other current low point-value documents may not be accepted as proof of who you are.

One important note: your current New Jersey drivers license cannot be used as proof of who you are.

The good news in all of this? Your spiffy new drivers license will be good for eight years (instead of the current four years).

To learn about all of the new types of documents that will be needed to renew your New Jersey drivers license, visit the Motor Vehicle Commission's website.