Long wait times and frustration grow at Commerce Ave. DMV, with 1 month until Real ID deadline
Time is running out. Starting on May 7, all Americans will need a Real ID to get on domestic plane flights.
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With just one month until the national deadline for everyone trade in their old driver's license for a Real ID, long wait times at the Commerce Avenue DMV in Westchester Square are leading to frustration from the community.
"I've been here like 4 ½ hours now, and now they just told me I still have a two-hour wait," said LaSean Brown, from the South Bronx.
Soundview resident Jeannette Cuevas was having similar luck.
"My appointment was at 10:15 a.m. It's what, 2 p.m. now?" she asked.
Things are so bad, a state police source confirms to News 12 that an order of protection was filed for against someone who made a threat to the building.
Cuevas says she somewhat understands the emotions that would lead to that, because being inside the DMV is "long. It's a long process."
Time is running out. Starting on May 7, all Americans will need a Real ID or a passport to get on domestic plane flights.
"It's really bad in there," said Yvonne Flores, from Pelham Parkway. "There's nobody to help, only one person in the front to direct you where to go."
Plenty of people said they could use help, too. Since real IDs are supposed to protect people's identities more than the old ones, there's a little extra paperwork to prove people are who they say they are when applying for one.
That was an issue for Cuevas, who said she forgot her Social Security card. Brown, who was there with her mom, forgot her marriage certificate to prove she had changed her name.
The state does have a checklist explaining exactly what documents are needed.
Officials recommend double checking it to avoid needing to go through this process more than once.
"They told me to come out here, take a picture of (the QR code), make a reservation, then come back whenever they say," said Flores after being denied.
Meanwhile, Brown said if she had to do this again, "I probably would drive all the way to Albany, so it's like 10 people are there instead of here."
An active passport can also be used, instead, to board domestic flights for those who need to get on a plane after May 7 and are still waiting for their Real ID.
