Our reporter procrastinated like most of us for a REAL ID, but she managed to get by the crowds and secured one.

Such a small piece of plastic. Such frustration and anxiety.

In a month, the REAL ID will be a requirement on domestic commercial flights and your standard driver's license will not do.

But try to get an appointment to get a REAL ID in New Jersey by the May 7 deadline. You need an appointment, and they are just not readily available. Click on the list 76 mobile Motor Vehicle Commission sites in 76 different municipalities and the message is the same: No Appointments Available.

Before you read on, or your stomach begins to churn as you worry about your upcoming trip, know that your valid U.S. passport will get you on a flight anywhere. The REAL ID is not a prerequisite if you have a valid passport.

"The demand for REAL ID now is extraordinarily high ahead of the start of federal enforcement in May," William Connolly, a NJ Motor Vehicle Commission spokesman told 70and73.com.

That’s a calm way of acknowledging the appointment meltdown mode as the state agency tries to accommodate its citizens' desires for the REAL ID. But, let’s be honest, many of us are procrastinators and we have waited until the last minute.

As Connolly advised: Think about whether you really need a REAL ID by the deadline. There may be no need to rush.

In response to the surge in appointment requests, the MVC has repeatedly added and reallocated appointments. This includes mobile unit events, a new round of which is slated to begin this Saturday, and the "REAL ID Thursdays" program, which took effect on March 20. The latter initiative adds about 4,500 appointments weekly, according to Connolly.

He encouraged those who see "No Appointments Available" the first time they go online to check again every so often, as appointments are regularly added when customers cancel or modify their appointments and new mobile unit events are added.

Since the deadline for obtaining a REAL ID kept moving (at one point, it was October 1, 2020; then, it was October 1, 2021; then, it was May 3, 2023), I kept putting off getting one until January, when word of the looming May 7 deadline, combined with my impending passport expiration changed my mind.

To my surprise, I had a choice of days and times at the MVC location nearest me, in Runnemede. I scheduled an appointment for February 18. I then used the MVC's document selector to ensure I had six points' worth of documentation required to obtain a REAL ID.

So much for the best-laid plans. Life threw me a curve ball, and I needed to move to another part of South Jersey. Since it made no sense to get a REAL ID with an address that would be valid for only about a week, I went online to reschedule the appointment.

In less than a week, all those appointments at Runnemede had shrunk to just one. I took it and, shortly after, received an email confirmation indicating my appointment would be March 25 from 1:45 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. There was also a disclaimer that read: "While we make every effort to honor all appointments at their scheduled times, we sometimes run behind schedule. It is our policy and goal to provide the best possible service for all our customers, however you may experience a short wait time."

On the designated day, I arrived 25 minutes before my scheduled appointment. The first thing I had to do was wait in a line with two or three people ahead of me to check in. After a short wait, I was given a card to fill out that asked for name, address, date of birth, height, weight, eye color and the day's date and signature. Each number and digit, except for the signature, had to go in its own box.

Upon completion, I waited on another line with about four or five people ahead of me. When it was my turn, a second person verified that I had the six points. Feeling that it is better to have and not need than need and not have, I brought my passport, a bank statement and a health insurance card and driver’s license. Although I had the six points, I had entered the month on the card I was given at check-in as "3," not "03," so I had to fill out a new one. After another wrong attempt at filling out that card, at 1:45 p.m., I was given a small slip of paper with a number and letter combination on it and told to wait for it to be called.

After my number was called at 2:25 p.m., I saw a third MVC employee and from there, things took a turn very similar to renewing a driver's license.

I paid $11 and eagerly awaited my laminated REAL ID. However, I have to wait about two weeks for it to arrive in the mail. I left the MVC office at 2:41 p.m., grateful I was done and had not scheduled anything for 2:45 p.m.

Still concerned you will not get a REAL ID by May 7?

"Getting a REAL ID is not mandatory," Connolly said. "The upcoming enforcement date is most relevant for those New Jerseyans who plan to fly domestically in the short term and do not have a form of identification that will meet federal requirements."

Seeking an appointment? 

Burlington and Camden county Motor Vehicle Commission Offices Offering REAL ID Services:

• 2600 Mount Ephraim Avenue, Camden

• 400 Creek Road, Delanco

• 835 East Clements Bridge Road, Runnemede

REAL ID Mobile Unit events are listed here.