Niagara County Clerk Joseph A. Jastrzemski today said the Niagara County Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) Offices in Lockport, Niagara Falls and North Tonawanda will have Saturday hours on April 12 and April 26 for the limited purpose of processing driver’s license transactions related to the implementation of REAL ID. The offices will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on those dates, but you must be in line by 12:30 to have your transaction processed.
Jastrzemski reminded residents that, after years of delays and postponements, the federal REAL ID requirements will go into effect on May 7, 2025. That means you will need a REAL ID to board any domestic flights, enter a military base and access certain federal facilities.
“With these new requirements taking effect is less than a month, our three DMV offices have been extremely busy,” said Jastrzemski. “So we are going to be doing these two Saturday events to keep up with demand. I want to stress we will only be processing drivers-license and non-driver identification transactions on these days.”
Jastrzemski said New York State residents have options as New York’s REAL ID license, Enhanced Driver’s license and a passport all meet the federal requirements. A Nexus card and other DHS trusted traveler cards like Global Entry, SENTRI, and FAST also qualify. Residents do still need a passport to fly to other countries. You will need to think about your travel needs and decide which ID is right for you. Residents can visit www.dmv.ny.go to learn more about the different license options.
Jastrzemski added that for those who do not have an immediate need for REAL ID, such as an upcoming domestic flight, it may be best to wait until after the deadline to upgrade your license as the lines will have died down.
All WNY is made possible thanks to coffee and sleep deprivation.
We appreciate your readership. We like money, too.