The state Motor Vehicle Commission tweeted this month that new driver’s licenses and non-driving ID cards being issued have arrived with a new feel, in addition to a slightly new look.
The most obvious change incorporates the MVC’s new logo and color scheme also seen at agencies and inspections stations.
But some drivers said the new documents have a different feel than the old ones — they feel fake.
Gone is the plastic-feel of the old license that was slightly thinner than a credit card or corporate ID. Some drivers said the new license has been rejected when they used it for proof of being of legal drinking age at bars.
The new licenses and IDs have a different feel to them and include several improved security features, said William Connolly, an MVC spokesman.
“Both changes help MVC to combat fraud and identity theft, enhance security of individuals’ personal information, and make it more difficult for fraudsters to produce counterfeit NJ licenses and IDs,” he said, declining to describe exactly what the features were for security reasons.
The change happened when the MVC switched from issuing driver’s licenses at agencies to issuing them from a central facility and mailing them to drivers, Connolly said.
New Jersey is one of more than two dozen states that switched from issuing licenses at agencies to producing them at a central license facility.
So, why the different feel?
“The improved security features could not be implemented using the old technology that was used to print licenses and IDs (in agencies),” Connolly said. “The new material and centralized production make the new licenses and IDs more secure and less susceptible to fraudulent reproduction.”
While some drivers said the new licenses didn’t pass muster with some bartenders or bouncers, police were advised of the change in November, he said.
A late 2020 MVC advisory to law enforcement said the change in the appearance of the Enhanced Digital Driver’s License was being phased in, starting last November, but didn’t mention the license would feel different to the touch. Once all MVC agencies made the conversion, the old-style, thicker license would no longer be issued, the advisory said.
“While some customers have noted the new feel of the license, we have received no reports of law enforcement or other entities refusing to accept the new licenses or IDs as valid,” Connolly said.
The “Not for Real ID purposes” listed on standard licenses that one driver complained about refers to federal mandated Real ID licenses that have added security features and requirements. That license will be the only driver’s license accepted for identification for domestic air travel starting on May 23, 2023.
“Standard NJ licenses have “Not for ‘REAL ID’ purposes” printed on them, which is a requirement of federal law to differentiate a standard license or non-driver ID from a REAL ID,” Connolly said.
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Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com.