Mayor Bill de Blasio and Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito Announce Over 100,000 IDNYC Applicants Enrolled

April 2, 2015

Administration submits first quarterly report to Council, highlighting significant achievements in first three months of NYC’s first municipal card program

NEW YORK—Mayor de Blasio and Speaker Mark-Viverito today announced that over 100,000 New Yorkers across the five boroughs have submitted applications for the IDNYC program, less than three months after launching the most ambitious municipal identification program in the country. Other cities across the country that have implemented municipal ID initiatives, such as New Haven, San Francisco, and Oakland, enrolled approximately 1 percent of their populations during their first year of operation. On March 30, just the 77th day since the launch of IDNYC, the 100,000th New Yorker applied for an IDNYC card – well exceeding 1 percent of the City’s population (approximately 84,000). To date, 105,053 New Yorkers have had their applications processed.

As required by local law, the Administration this week submitted the IDNYC’s first quarterly report to the City Council, detailing the City’s rapid expansion of the program to meet the extraordinary demand for a government-issued photo identification card available to all New York City residents, regardless of immigration status.

“I am proud to report that in the first three months of the program, we have rapidly expanded our capacity to swiftly process applications from over 100,000 New Yorkers across the five boroughs,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “That’s thousands of New Yorkers that can now easily enter municipal buildings, take advantage of cultural and prescriptions benefits, and interact productively with the NYPD. We will continue to grow the program to create even greater access to government programs for our city’s residents.” 

“I’m thrilled with the tremendous success of IDNYC, a safe and secure program that provides enormous benefits to all New Yorkers,” said Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito. “From providing free entry to the city’s top cultural institutions to streamlining library card access and serving as a recognized form of NYC identification, IDNYC is truly a card that benefits all New Yorkers. That’s why I’m excited that as we mark the 100,000th application here in New York City, the Council will also be presenting the successful IDNYC model to legislators in Phoenix, Arizona.  The City Council has led the way on immigration reform and on policies that uplift all New Yorkers, and we are proud to serve as a model for the rest of the nation to follow.”

“The unprecedented demand for IDNYC speaks to how much immigrant New Yorkers needed a government-issued ID card,” said Immigrant Affairs Commissioner Nisha Agarwal. “It also speaks to the trust immigrant New Yorkers have put in this Administration’s programs and policies. We will continue to fight inequality by providing our communities with every opportunity to engage in the civic and economic life of our great city.”

“As the designated administrator for the IDNYC program, we at HRA are very pleased that in just 10 weeks the City has served over 100,000 New Yorkers who have applied for this vital service, through an application process that features effective protections for applicant privacy, strong anti-fraud procedures, and an extraordinary staff effort,” said Human Resources Administration Commissioner Steve Banks.

“The extraordinary demand for the IDNYC card demonstrates the incredible value of this program,” said Mindy Tarlow, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Operations. “The de Blasio Administration has quickly and dramatically ramped up capacity to meet this demand and we are thrilled to be expanding access to programs, services and benefits for all New Yorkers. We look forward to getting more cards into the hands of New Yorkers.”

“IDNYC is officially 100,000 strong! Just one year ago, we were discussing the possibilities that a program of this kind – and scale – could offer New Yorkers. Now, we are in the thick of implementation – unlocking a world of opportunity for our residents. The demand for IDNYC has been remarkable in the first three months, underscoring the value of municipal identification to New Yorkers,” said Council Member Carlos Menchaca, Chair of the Committee on Immigration. “I look forward to continuing to work with Mayor de Blasio, my colleagues in the Council, and with community partners to ensure that the program is at full functionality and is able to reach those who have yet to benefit from this powerful resource.”

“IDNYC, the city’s new municipal identification card, is a hit,” said Council Member Daniel Dromm. “The numbers bear it out. Over 100,000 New Yorkers will have the benefit of an official photo identification card that clearly identifies them as a New Yorker. This is good news not only for those individuals but for all of New York City. I congratulate Mayor de Blasio and Commissioner Agarwal for stepping up to the plate to meet the overwhelming demand for IDNYC cards.”

“IDNYC is a huge success and this milestone is a testament to the work of Mayor Bill de Blasio, Speaker Mark-Viverito, our Library systems, Cultural Institutions Group and so many others,” said Council Majority Leader Jimmy Van Bramer. “The benefits of having an IDNYC card have made it a must-have for every New Yorker. Whether it’s for discounts to a play, membership to a museum, or a unified three system library card, every New Yorker is learning to reach for their IDNYC card. This is a great card with a great purpose and is improving the lives of 100,000 New Yorkers and counting!”

The quarterly report contains key information about the IDNYC program, as required by local law, including breakdown of card enrollment data, such as enrollment by borough and card issuance to minors. The report also details the rapid expansion of the program to meet demand by adding workstations at IDNYC enrollment centers, extending hours of operation, realizing technology efficiencies, and opening new large-scale IDNYC enrollment hubs across the city. At the time of the report, the City had more than tripled the program’s enrollment capacity. A complete list of enrollment centers and hours is available at http://www1.nyc.gov/site/idnyc/card/locations.page

Additional expansion will be implemented in the coming weeks, which will continue to significantly increase the number of New Yorkers applying for the IDNYC card every day. By mid-April of this year, new sites will launch in the South Bronx and Coney Island, and a new, larger Sunset Park center will replace the temporary site that had opened in January. By the end of April, the program will launch the second round of pop-up enrollment centers, increasing capacity across a larger geography and in partnership with community-based organizations, City Council offices, and City agencies. This dramatic expansion provides the IDNYC program with the capacity to enroll one million New Yorkers this calendar year, which is approximately four times the capacity of the IDNYC program at the time of launch less than three months ago.

The City will continue to seek meaningful additions to the program that reflect the program’s vision of greater access to government services and programs, financial services, education, cultural benefits, and health and wellness for all New Yorkers. The City is focused on developing new card integrations that can expand the utility and functionality of the IDNYC card and ensure that New Yorkers have access to a broad array of additional programs, services, and benefits with just this one card in their wallet.

The 311 system also provides essential information and services related to the municipal ID program. Since the launch of the program, 311 has received 210,984 calls about IDNYC, and an analysis performed in March found that 52 percent of calls regarding IDNYC were in a language other than English – with Spanish accounting for approximately 90 percent of those calls – which is by far the most non-English language 311 calls for any City program since the launch of the 311 system 12 years ago.