All New York City residents, ages ten and up, regardless of their immigration status, can apply for a Government-issued IDNYC card. This identification program, launched in 2015, is the largest in the country.
It allows access to opening a bank account at selected financial institutions, entering buildings, such as schools, and can be presented as proof of identification to interact with the police and other agencies. It provides free access to many museums and other cultural institutions–for a full list, visit this link. It can also be used in the New York, Brooklyn and Queens library system.
However, understanding the requirements for the ID card and how to make an appointment can be confusing. Documented spoke to Emili Prado, the service referral coordinator at La Colmena, a community job center on Staten Island, and compiled everything you need to know about how and where to apply for the IDNYC.
How to get your ID card?
Applicants can schedule an appointment on the IDNYC website or call 311 and say ‘IDNYC.’ They can also walk into a center.
While walk-ins are an option, Prado recommends that people schedule an appointment beforehand. “We don’t recommend people show up in person because IDNYC is very strict,” she said.
**Asylum seekers can also get help with the application process at the city’s Asylum Seeker Resource Navigation Center at 520 West 49th Street.
Schedule an appointment | See IDNYC locations
What documents are required?
IDNYC works in a point-based system. Prado explains that applicants will need “at least four points of documents, with at least three points that can prove your identity and one point proving your residency.”
She added that documents to prove identity can include a foreign birth certificate or a passport, and documents to verify residency can include a phone or electricity bill. You can see the full list of acceptable documents by using IDNYC’s document calculator.
For migrants that are living in shelters or with other family members in a shared household, proof of residency could include mail at their current address with their name printed on it, Prado said.
She said people can also ask their family members to write a letter stating that they are currently living in their household.
If applicants don’t have original copies of their documents, they can also use an I-94 form issued by the US Department of Homeland Security, which includes a photo, fingerprint, and date of birth.
Prado suggests applicants read the document guide before heading to their appointment. “I don’t want people to narrow it down to just a passport or driver’s license,” she said, adding that the list of accepted documents is two pages long.
IDNYC identification card renewal process
Check your card’s expiration date, located at the bottom of the front, to determine when you should renew it.
You can renew your card up to 90 days before it expires, or up to 1 year after it expires. You could renew your ID card through the IDNYC online portal. If your card expired more than 1 year ago you will need to order a new card at an IDNYC enrollment center.
There are two ways to renew an ID card: online or in person. To renew online, visit the online portal and start your application. To renew in person, you can make an online appointment or call 311. You can see a list of enrollment centers here.
