STATE OF NEW JERSEY
Division of The Ratepayer Advocate
31 Clinton Street, 11th Fl
P. O. Box 46005
Newark, New Jersey 07101
JAMES E. McGREEVEY
Governor
|
|
SEEMA
M. SINGH, Esq.
Director and Ratepayer Advocate
|
What
You Need to Know About:
New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission's
Six-Point Identification Verification Program
By Seema M. Singh, Esq.
Pubic Advocate-Designate
And Ratepayer Advocate
The State of New Jersey in 2003 created
a new Six-Point Identification Verification Program to establish more secure
processes to issue auto operator licenses in keeping with federal Homeland Security
guidelines.
The new program was created under
legislation signed by Governor James E. McGreevey, which also changed the name
of the Division of Motor Vehicles, the responsible state agency, to the New
Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC).
The most important goals of this
legislation are to improve motor vehicle services for drivers, to enhance customer
services and to establish a more secure licensing process in keeping with the
Federal Security Guidelines.
The new identification verification program has generated many questions from
legal non-citizen state residents who are now uncertain as to how they can qualify
for driver licenses and renewals.
In December 2003, the state legislature
added another licensing provision to MVC requirements that tightens security
conditions for all applicants for regular and provisional licenses and driver’s
permits, requiring the submission of a digitized photo as a condition of receiving
one of these permits in addition to the six point ID verification elements discussed
below.
Before I discuss the new program, I want to point out that the Six Point ID
Verification Program changes the process by which New Jersey issues driver licenses,
driver permits, non-driver ID cards and boat licenses for everyone residing
in New Jersey. The new ID verification program and photo requirement do not
just apply to non-citizens, but to U.S. citizens as well.
Because most of the inquiries I, as Public Advocate Designate, have received
about the program come from legal non-citizens, this article will focus on the
unique ID requirements for that category.
Identity theft and document fraud have become serious problems in New Jersey
and elsewhere in the United States. Since driver licenses are among the most
common ways used to establish identities, everyone is safer when the state is
very careful about proof of identities.
If you are a non-citizen, to qualify
for a driver license or renewal, you must possess and show at least:
- a digitized photo;
- one primary document;
- one secondary document; and
- provide a minimum total of six
points worth of documents
The documents detailed
below, either originals or certified copies, must be produced by non-citizens
at MVC offices when they apply for licenses, to establish identity.
How to
Satisfy the Required Six Points
1. Primary
Documents for Non-Citizens - Applicants must show at least one of these
4-Point Documents
- Foreign passport with INS or
BCIS verification, and valid record of arrival/departure (Form I-94)
- Foreign passport with INS or
BCIS verification, and valid Form I-551 stamp
- Current alien registration card
(new Form I-551) with expiration date and verification form INS or BCIS
- Refugee travel document (Form
I-571)
- U.S. re-entry permit (Form I-327)
- Valid I-94 stamped Refugee, Parolee,
Asylee or Notice of Action (Form I-797 approved petition) by INS or BCIS
- Valid I-94 with attached photo
stamped Processed for I-551... by INS or BCIS
3-Point Documents
- Current photo employment authorization
card (Form-I-688B or I-766). Must be presented with valid Social Security
card. (See special note on Social Security).
2-Point Documents
- Current alien registration card
(old Form I-551) without expiration date, and INS or BCIS verification
- Photo temporary resident card
(Form I-688)
2. Secondary Documents for Non-Citizens - Citizens and non-citizens
must show at least one of these
3-Point Documents
- Civil marriage certificate issued
by the municipality in which you were married. [Please note: Photocopies are
not accepted. Marriage certificates issued by religious entities are also
not accepted].
- Divorce decree (from a U.S. court)
- Court order for a legal name
change, signed by a judge or court clerk
Current U.S. military dependent card
- U.S. military photo retiree card
- NJ firearm purchaser card
2-Point Documents
- U.S. school photo ID card with
transcript or school records
- U.S. college phone ID card with
transcript
- Valid federal, state or local
government employee photo I D card
- U.S. military discharge papers
(DD214)
- FAA pilot license
1-Point Documents
- Current NJ photo driver license
- Current photo driver license
from any other state or the District of Columbia
- Social Security card (See
Special Note on Social Security)
- Bank Statement or record
- ATM card with preprinted name
and applicant's signature. (Please note: an ATM card and bank statement cannot
be submitted together.)
- Current health insurance card,
prescription card or employee ID card with printed pay stub
- State professional license
- NJ public assistance card with
photo (also known as a NJ Social Services ID card)
- High school diploma, GED or college
diploma
- Property tax statement, bill
or receipt issued by a New Jersey municipality
- For NJ high school students:
a waiver certificate for the written portion of the driver's test
- Veterans Affairs universal access
photo ID card
3. Proof of Address for Citizens and Non-Citizens - all applicants,
citizens and non-citizens, must present proofs of address, which may include,
but are not limited to one of these:
- Utility or credit card bill issued
in the past 90 days that shows your name at your current address
- Checking or savings account statement
from a bank or credit union, issued within the past two years
- High school or college report
card or transcript containing your address, issued within the past two years
- Original lease or rental agreement
showing your name as the lessee or renter
- Property tax bill, statement
or receipt from the past year
- Any letter or correspondence
(including tax bills) received from the IRS or state tax office in the last
year
- First-class mail received from
any federal, state or local government agency in the past six months
- If the applicant is under 18
and doesn't otherwise have proof of address, the MVC will accept a Parent
or Guardian Certification that verifies the applicant is living with a parent
or guardian
Special Note on Social Security
To be eligible for a New Jersey driver's license or renewal, non-citizens
who are legally in the country but not permitted to work and do not have a
Social Security card should go to their nearest Social Security Office with
the documents from the INS that establish their legal status in the United
States.
The non-citizens should request a letter from Social Security confirming that
they are not eligible for a social security card. This is a routine request,
but must be made in person by the applicant seeking the motor vehicle license.
This Social Security letter will not have a point value toward the
license.
Finally, if you do provide a Social Security number (SS#) when applying for
a license, the MVC will access the Social Security Administration to verify
that your name and date of birth match your SS#.
The documents submitted must total six points as defined in this article.
Currently, only documents providing proof of address may differ from the information
in this article.
Remember: Every ID document you show to prove your identity must be
an original or a certified copy marked with a state or municipal seal.
Further details and more information on the Six-Point ID Verification Program,
and the Motor Vehicle Commission, can be obtained on line at www.njmvc.gov,
or toll free phone in New Jersey at 1-888-486-3339 or (Out of State) at 609-292-7500.
If for any reason you have questions this article does not answer about qualifying
for a driver's license in New Jersey, please contact me at 973-648-7125 or
eanta@rpa.state.nj.us, ask your
question and provide contact numbers for a reply.
The Division of the Ratepayer Advocate
is an independent state agency that represents the interests of utility consumers
and serves as an active participant in every case where New Jersey utilities
seek changes in their rates or services. The Ratepayer Advocate also gives
consumers a voice in setting long-range energy, water, and telecommunications
policy that will affect the delivery of utility services well into the future.
Additional information on this and other matters can be found at the Division
of Ratepayer Advocate's website at http://www.rpa.state.nj.us
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