All applicants must present one primary document showing their full legal name (first name, middle name, last name and suffix). Secondary documents must match the name on the primary document.
Middle Names and Suffixes
REAL ID will allow secondary documents that have
- No middle name or initial or suffix; or
- A middle initial, but not the full middle name
as secondary documents, as long as there is no conflict between the secondary documents and the primary document.
REAL ID will not allow “Sr.” (Senior) to be added unless it appears on primary document.
Examples:
Jane Mary Smith | Jane M. Smith | ACCEPTABLE |
Jane Smith | ACCEPTABLE | |
Jane T. Smith | NOT ACCEPTABLE | |
Jane Doe Smith | NOT ACCEPTABLE | |
John Doe Smith, Jr. | John D. Smith, Jr. | ACCEPTABLE |
John D. Smith | ACCEPTABLE | |
John Smith | ACCEPTABLE | |
John L. Smith | NOT ACCEPTABLE | |
John Lewis Smith | NOT ACCEPTABLE |
Note for Married Women and others with Name Changes
You may need more than a marriage certificate to verify your name change! Please check the Names Must Match page to ensure your documents will work for REAL ID.
Examples:
Jane Mary Smith | Jane Mary Smith | Jane Mary Smith | Jack Joseph Jones | Jane Mary Smith Jones OR Jane Mary Jones OR Jane Mary Smith-Jones OR Jane Mary Smith |
Jane Smith | Jane Mary Smith | Jane M. Smith | Jack Joseph Jones | |
Jane M Smith | Jane Mary Smith | Jane Smith | Jack Joseph Jones |
The following combination of documents represent a failure to match under REAL ID rules.
If the name on your New Jersey license/ID doesn’t match your Social Security and primary documents, REAL ID requires that you show a legal court-ordered name change document or use your primary document to change the name on your Social Security account to match it.
Examples:
Jane Mary Smith | Jane Mary Smith | Jane Mary Jones | Jack Joseph Jones | NOT ACCEPTABLE |
Jane Smith | Jane Mary Smith | Jane M. Jones | Jack Joseph Jones | |
Jane M Smith | Jane Mary Smith | Jane Jones | Jack Joseph Jones | |
Jane Smith Jones | Jane Mary Smith | Jane Smith Jones | Jack Joseph Jones | |
Joseph J Smoe | Joseph James Doe | Joseph J Smoe | Mark William Smith |
Multiple Last Names
A Social Security document with only one of your last names will be accepted for REAL ID, but only on a one-time basis.
REAL ID requires that the name on your Social Security account be changed to match prior to license/ID renewal.
Examples:
Jorge Juan Gonzalez (paternal) Diaz (maternal) | Jorge Juan Gonzalez | Jorge J Gonzalez | Jorge Juan (middle) Gonzalez Diaz (last) OR Jorge Juan Gonzalez OR Jorge Juan Diaz |
Jorge Gonzalez Diaz | Jorge Gonzalez | ||
Jorge J Diaz | Jorge Diaz Gonzalez |
Sofia Maria Montoya (maternal) Rivera (paternal) | Sofia Maria (middle) Montoya Rivera Diaz (last) OR Sofia Maria (middle) Montoya Diaz (last) OR Sofia Maria (middle) Rivera Diaz (last) | |||
Sofia Maria Montoya | Sofia M Montoya | Jorge Juan Diaz | ||
Sofia M Rivera | Sofia M Rivera | Jorge Juan Diaz | ||
Sofia M Montoya Rivera | Sofia Rivera | Jorge Juan Diaz | ||
Sofia Maria Montoya Rivera | Sofia Montoya Rivera | Jorge Juan Diaz |