TRENTON, N.J. — As the Fourth of July approaches, Mercer County Clerk Paula Sollami Covello reminds Mercer County residents that for Fourth of July Veteran ID cards will be free on the following days:
July 5 to July 15, and (the County Clerk’s Office is closed Monday, July 4)
ID cards that indicate a Veteran’s status have become very useful as many stores and home improvement retailers now offer discounts to veterans. Veterans can receive their photo ID cards by visiting the Mercer County Clerk’s Office located on the 2nd Floor of the Old Courthouse at 209 South Broad Street in Trenton.
The Clerk’s I.D. department is open Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Normally, veterans pay a special reduced fee of $10.00, half the normal price of a general ID card.
The requirements for a Mercer County ID card are:
- Must be a Mercer County resident for at least 6 months.
- Must produce the following:
- A valid birth certificate with a raised seal or a naturalization certificate.
- A valid NJ Motor Vehicle License or voter registration card or, lease agreement.
- Voting Profile
- To have their US military veteran status designated on the ID card, veterans must also produce or register their DD-214 honorable discharge papers with the County Clerk’s Office.
RECORDING OF DD-214
A Certificate of Release – Discharge from Active Duty, or DD-214 Form for short, is generally issued when a service member is honorably discharged from active military duty. The document contains information that is usually needed to verify military service for benefits, retirement, employment, and membership in veterans’ organizations. Additionally, recording a DD-214 Form is free of charge to Mercer County Veterans in the Clerk’s office.
“Because military papers can get damaged or lost, veterans should take advantage of the opportunity to file copies of their DD-214 discharge papers with the Clerk’s Office,” said Sollami Covello, whose office maintains and preserves official documents and records for Mercer County.
“If a copy of discharge papers are needed in the future, a veteran, an immediate family member, or a legally recognized representative of their estate may obtain one with proper identification,” noted Sollami Covello.
For further information on how to obtain a Mercer County photo identification card, please call the Clerk’s office at 609-278-7108