Starting this summer, some New Jersey residents will be able to renew their driver licenses or non-driver IDs by mail.
The Motor Vehicle Commission announced Monday that residents born on or before Dec. 1, 1964 with licenses or other IDs expiring in July or later will be able to “skip the trip” to MVC offices.
The state says mail renewals for about 1 million older customers -- at least for the next several years -- will make it easier for New Jersey to make the move to a more stringent ID system required by federal law.
Residents born after Dec. 1, 1964, will be required to have a new ID by Dec. 1, 2014 under the federal law.
Those who can renew by mail won't be required to have new IDs until the end of 2017.
The new federal standards must be met in order for driver licenses or IDs to be used for boarding a commercial flight or entering a federal building, for example. That means the MVC must re-credential every license- or ID-holder.
Agencies will in May begin issuing the new driver licenses and non-driver IDs. They will be valid for eight years, rather than four, and will feature a gold star in the upper right-hand corner to signify compliance with the requirements.
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Officials say the new federal requirements mean residents can no longer state their Social Security number, but must show the card itself, a paystub or tax documents, when obtaining a license or other ID. Residents must also present two proofs of residence, rather than the one that is currently required. And if a passport is used, it must be current.
The program is part of the MVC's efforts to ensure the integrity of its documents and issuance process, officials say.
