Thanks to the new state budget and legislation signed by Gov. Phil Murphy, some — but not all — New Jerseyans will be eligible for free driver’s license renewals the year.
Included in the massive $60.5 billion state budget signed by Murphy are “fee holidays” for some government services, including free driver’s license renewals. The governor also signed a bill making the free holiday law for one year.
New Jersey has six million drivers, but not all of them are going to be eligible to have the driver’s license renewal fee waived. It only covers drivers who hold licenses that expire between October 2022 and September 2023.
So, how do you skip the fee and get a license for free?
William Connolly, the state Motor Vehicle Commission spokesman, explained the process:
Q: What is being offered?
A: The fee holiday was outlined by Murphy in his March budget address and in legislation passed and signed last week. Driver’s licenses, and non-driver ID cards issued by the MVC are included in a year of “fee holidays,” Connolly said.
Q: Who is eligible?
A: The fee holiday is only for renewals of driver licenses and non-driver IDs issued by the MVC, Connolly said. Drivers who hold licenses and MVC-issued, non-driver ID cards that expire between October 2022 and September 2023 are eligible for the free renewal.
The renewal notice sent to license holders will say if the renewal fee is waived, he said.
Renewal notices for licenses and IDs eligible for the fee holiday starting this October already are being generated and mailed, Connolly said. Drivers will know whether they are eligible because the renewal notice will indicate “$.00″ is due in the fee box, he said.
Q: Is there any change to the process for drivers?
A: The process for renewing a driver’s license or ID in New Jersey remains unchanged, Connolly said. But, drivers still must go through the complete renewal process. The fee waiver doesn’t exempt them from going through all the usual steps to renew a license.
“Even though the fee has been waived, the customer still must complete the transaction either online at the NJMVC website, by mail, or in-person, as the renewal notice indicates,” Connolly said.
Q: Do you get the fee waived if you renew early?
A: Yes, if you get a notice indicating your license renewal will be free, it will still be free if you chose to renew your license early.
“Drivers who get a renewal notice that indicates they are eligible for a fee holiday can immediately renew as it is in the three month window that the MVC allows for renewal,” Connelly said.
Eligibility is based on the expiration date of the license, not when you renew it. The fee waiver is not affected by how, where, or when the customer completes their renewal, Connolly said.
Q: Does it matter whether you renew online, by mail or in person?
A: No, you will get the free renewal no matter which method you use.
The MVC encourages license holders to renew online or by mail renewal, though there are free appointments and space for people who must go to agencies for in-person business.
“We encourage customers to renew online at NJMVC.gov, which is the fastest and easiest way to renew,” Connolly said. “Any associated fee will be waived whether the renewal is done online, by mail, or in-person for licenses and non-driver IDs that expire between Oct. 1, 2022, and Sept. 30, 2023.”
Q: How does this apply to Real ID licenses?
A: Real ID is a more secure, federally-mandated document that will be accepted at airports as identification and to enter federal buildings. Domestic air travelers without passports who want to use their New Jersey driver’s licenses as identification at the airport must meet a May 3, 2023, deadline to get a Real ID driver’s license or ID card.
New Jersey’s fee holiday for renewal applies to customers if they already have a New Jersey-issued Real ID with an expiration date between Oct. 1, 2022, and Sept. 30, 2023, Connolly said.
The fee holiday partially applies to customers who are upgrading from a standard license to Real ID if their standard license or ID card expires between Oct. 1, 2022 and Sept. 30, 2023.
“For these customers, the cost of the Real ID will be reduced from $35 to $11, which is the regular Real ID upgrade fee,” Connolly said. “The $24 renewal fee will be waived consistent with the fee holiday.”
Q: What does the MVC need to do to make this work?
A: Implementing the fee holiday required programming changes to the fee tables in the MVC’s information technology systems, which were recently completed, Connolly said.
Q: How much is this going to cost the state?
A: The state is losing out on collecting $22.25 million it would have gotten from license renewal fees, officials estimated.
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Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com.
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