New Jersey
Here’s what 2 + 1 + 6 = REAL ID formula means for your NJ appointment
Starting May 2025, your driver’s license won’t be enough for air travel
This week, after years of delays, the Transportation Security Administration announced that federal agencies will begin enforcement of REAL ID requirements on May 7, 2025.
Fox – 5 DC
You’ve read the headlines about getting a REAL ID before the May 7 deadline. You’ve done your due diligence and made an appointment.
Now what? What even is a REAL ID? It will be needed in more places than just the airport. How much does it cost?
Well, before you go to your appointment, you need to make sure you bring the right documentation.
The New Jersey Motor Vehicle commissioner requires a unique combination of documents, which follows a process called 2 + 1 + 6 = REAL ID.
That means you must have:
- Identity documents that add up to six points
- Two documents to prove your address
- One valid social security number
Bear in mind that most transactions at the MVC require a physical document, and not just a copy on your smartphone.
Story continues below photo gallery
What’s included in REAL ID 6 points?
This is the spot where you’ll need to verify your identity with primary documents that add up to six points, such as:
- A U.S passport or birth certificate (4 points each)
- A certificate of naturalization (4 points)
- Your current permanent resident card (3 points)
- A U.S school or college photo ID with a transcript (2 points)
- A legal name change court order, civil marriage certificate or divorce decree (2 points each)
- Additional documents also count, like a current U.S military ID or New Jersey firearms purchaser card
What’s included in REAL ID 2?
The “2” of the REAL ID formula is where you prove your address. You need to provide two out of the following:
- A valid NJ driver’s license or MVC-issued driver license renewal form displaying your residential address
- A utility bill or credit card bill from within the past 90 days
- A bank or credit union statement issued within the past 60 days
- An original, unexpired lease or rental agreement
- Any tax-related documents or government correspondence received within the past year
- First-class mail from a government agency within the past six months
What’s included in REAL ID 1?
The “1” in the REAL ID process is where you need to prove your social security number. You’ll have to show one of the following:
- A Social Security card
- A pay stub with the full Social Security number
- A W-2 or 1099 form issued within the past year
- You can also enter your Social Security number in the application and the MVC will electronically verify it
What is REAL ID and where will I need it?
The REAL ID is a federal requirement for state-issued driver’s licenses and ID cards. It’s meant to issue minimum security standards for state-issued IDs.
It’s part of a post-9/11 bill passed by Congress in 2005, according to the U.S Department of Homeland Security.
The requirement was originally set to go into effect in 2020, but was pushed back five years amid backlogs induced by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Starting May 7 this year, a REAL ID will be required for domestic flying and to get into any federal buildings.
Your current ID might read “Not For Real ID purposes,” and that means that, even if unexpired, the ID would not be compliant with the federal requirement.
But you could also present another REAL ID-compliant document to TSA security at the airport, like a passport.
It can take about two weeks, or 15 business days, to process the request at your local MVC.
All Real IDs will feature a stamp on the right-hand corner to show that it is federally compliant. The symbol stamped on your Real ID card will vary, depending on the state it was issued in.
What happens at your REAL ID appointment?
At the appointment, the documents you provide are scanned and stored by the MVC, as per federal requirements. State officials stressed that the documents are securely stored.
A REAL ID has to be obtained via an in-person appointment, but renewals can be done online.
The ID costs $35, while a standard New Jersey license or ID costs $24.
Staff Writer Manahil Ahmah contributed this article, which contains information from USA Today
Daniel Munoz covers business, consumer affairs, labor and the economy for NorthJersey.com and The Record.
Email: munozd@northjersey.com; Twitter:@danielmunoz100 and Facebook
New Jersey
Dan Levy’s new Netflix comedy ‘Big Mistakes’ was filmed at these New Jersey locations
Filming Big Mistakes in New Jersey was no mistake at all.
The Netflix comedy series, which debuted earlier this month, has already hit the streaming service’s Global Top 10 English TV List, making it one of the most-watched shows out right now.
As per Netflix, the comedy series co-created, executive produced, written and starring Emmy winner Dan Levy, follows Nicky (Levy) and Morgan (Taylor Ortega), two deeply incapable siblings who are in over their heads when a misguided theft for their dying grandmother accidentally pulls them into the world of organized crime. Blackmailed into increasingly dangerous assignments, they clumsily fail upwards, sinking deeper into chaos they’re ill-equipped to handle. The dark comedy, which has only eight episodes, has a 79% on Rotten Tomatoes so far.
RECOMMENDED: Where was ‘Beef’ season 2 filmed? Behind the locations of the dark Netflix comedy
Set in the fictional New Jersey suburb of Glenview, the series was fittingly filmed primarily in numerous towns and cities in New Jersey, including Caldwell, Cranford, Franklin Lakes, Irvington, Jersey City, Union, Warren and Weehawken for a total of 40 filming locations. (The cartel storyline in Episode 7 was shot in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where its coastline and architecture doubled as Miami’s waterfront, luxury estates and yacht life.)
“I’ve really enjoyed shooting in New Jersey,” location manager Mia Thompson said. “We have quite a number of recurring locations that have all just been wonderful—not only the home owners, but the business owners, the towns, the local police, the local fire departments, the town clerks. It’s been a really great experience.”
More than 300 cast and crew and 500 vendors took part in the production. Ortega, who plays Morgan, is actually a New Jersey native and was surprised to film in her backyard.
“It was surreal getting to film in my home state,” she said. “I grew up in New Jersey and was obsessed with film and television and never thought I’d be returning home for such a major project and moment in my life.”
The show filmed the scenes at Morelli’s Hardware, run by Nicky and Morgan’s mom (Laurie Metcalf), at Edison Millwork & Hardware, a more than 50-year-old, family-owned hardware store in Edison.
“It’s one of the few mom and pop hardware stores that are left anywhere, really, so it was really great to find this location that fits very perfectly with our story,” Thompson said.
The show was also filmed at Wyoming Presbyterian Church in Millburn—the backdrop for Nicky’s day job as a pastor and his living space.
“We’ve utilized every inch of space of that church inside and out,” said Thompson. “They’ve enjoyed the experience just as much as we have.”
Other spots they filmed at include Deerfield School, Essex County Airport, Fosterfields Living Historical Farm, Hatfield Swamp, Springfield Municipal Building and the Crystal Inn in Eatontown.
“One thing about New Jersey is that it’s so diverse. The various neighborhoods offer different kinds of looks and aesthetics,” said Thompson. “You have everything that you could ask for.”
See Jersey in all eight episodes, streaming now on Netflix.
New Jersey
ACLU featured at Bruce Springsteen No Kings show in New Jersey
Bruce Springsteen and E Street Band tour rehearsal in Ocean Grove
Bruce Springsteen and E Street Band March 26, 2026 Land of Hope and Dreams American Tour rehearsal at the Ocean Grove Youth Center in Ocean Grove.
There will be No Kings at the Monday, April 20 Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band show at the Prudential Center in Newark but the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey will be there.
The group will be the “featured organization” for the New Jersey stop of the band’s Land of Hope and Dreams American Tour.
“We’re honored to have the opportunity to work with New Jersey’s own Bruce Springsteen to advocate for the rights and freedoms that all people deserve,” said ACLU-NJ Executive Director Amol Sinha in statement. “This moment requires all of us, and we are grateful to Bruce, who is using his platform to fight against authoritarianism and for our rights. We share a love for New Jersey and a desire to make the Garden State safer and freer for everyone who calls it home. Our team is thrilled to connect with everyone who shares our mission to protect and defend civil liberties, and who knows the power that art and music have to change the world.”
Springsteen said the American Dream is under attack by “our wannabe king and his rogue government” when he announced the tour on Feb. 17. Promotional posters for the tour features the phrase “No Kings,” a reflection of the national anti-President Donald Trump protests that have taken place in the last year.
The tour kickoff was March 31 at the Target Center in Minneapolis and it included 27 songs over three hours. The show also featured some direct talk from Springsteen on the state of the country. The setlist included the newly composed “Streets of Minneapolis,” written after the fatal shooting by federal agents of Renee Good and Alex Pretti of Minneapolis in January.
ACLU-NJ representatives will be at the Prudential Center to talk to concertgoers about its work. The American Civil Liberties Union previously released an ad with the Springsteen classic “Born in the U.S.A.” featured on the eve of the Supreme Court case where the ACLU is challenging the President Trump’s executive order attempting to overturn the current interpretation of 14th Amendment, which grants automatic citizenship to those born in the U.S. regardless of their parents’ legal status.
Visit www.aclu-nj.org for more info on the ACLU-NJ.
Subscribe to app.com for the latest on the New Jersey music scene.
Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at cjordan@app.com
New Jersey
NJ Lottery Pick-3, Pick-4, Cash 5, Millionaire for Life winning numbers for Sunday, April 19
The New Jersey Lottery offers multiple draw games for people looking to strike it rich.
Here’s a look at April 19, 2026, results for each game:
Pick-3
Midday: 8-7-3, Fireball: 9
Evening: 5-0-8, Fireball: 0
Check Pick-3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick-4
Midday: 4-7-7-9, Fireball: 9
Evening: 5-9-7-8, Fireball: 0
Check Pick-4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Jersey Cash 5
20-25-35-38-45, Xtra: 35
Check Jersey Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Millionaire for Life
32-42-52-53-55, Bonus: 05
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Quick Draw
Drawings are held every four minutes. Check winning numbers here.
Cash Pop
Drawings are held every four minutes. Check winning numbers here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the New Jersey Lottery drawings held?
- Pick-3: 12:59 p.m. and 10:57 p.m. daily.
- Pick-4: 12:59 p.m. and 10:57 p.m. daily.
- Jersey Cash 5: 10:57 p.m. daily.
- Pick-6: 10:57 p.m. Monday and Thursday.
- Millionaire for Life: 11:15 p.m. daily
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a New Jersey Sr Breaking News Editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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