Real ID With Passport

Acquiring real identification through passport is key. When applying for a driver’s license or enhanced non-driver ID card in any state, bring all required documentation with you at application. While exact requirements will vary by state, typically standard driver’s licenses or enhanced non-driver ID cards require proof of full legal name, lawful presence, residence address and social security number as well as in most cases passport or another federally approved form of ID at time of application.

Foreigners needing drivers’ licenses will find themselves facing considerable scrutiny by DMV agents who must make complex immigration status assessments, effectively placing them under federal immigration law enforcement duties. At minimum, this will result in long delays and increased bureaucratic hurdles – although immigrants in particular will face scrutiny during their application processes.

DMV employees have good intentions, yet will need to make difficult judgments daily as a result of this new policy and may experience unintended repercussions from it. Furthermore, implementation of the Real ID Act could compromise public safety as undocumented people become reluctant to work with law enforcement officials out of fear that they may be deported or subject to further persecution.

To obtain a REAL ID card in person, it must be applied for at a DMV driver services facility – there are 16 such locations across New York’s five boroughs that are fully operational and equipped to process these requests.