EAST HARLEM — El Museo del Barrio is hosting a pop-up enrollment center for the city’s free municipal ID cards beginning Thursday.
The center will be open from May 7 to May 23 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. during the week and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays, the museum announced Wednesday.
“We are proud to serve as East Harlem’s first IDNYC Pop-Up Enrollment Center,” said the museum’s executive director Jorge Daniel Veneciano. “Cardholders will enjoy the many benefits that come with it, including a full year membership to our institution.”
This is the first center in East Harlem. There are 17 centers and four pop-up centers throughout the city, according to ID NYC. Previously, the closest enrollment centers to El Barrio had been in 530 West 135th St. in Hamilton Heights and 1112 Saint Nicholas Ave. in Washington Heights, according to ID NYC.
Demand for the identification cards were so high in January that appointments were backed up for months. Enrollment centers throughout the city had so many applicants that people waited for hours to get inside.
In February, the city opened new enrollment centers and hired more staff to meet the demand.
The identification card comes with perks like free membership to 33 cultural institutions around the city, according to its website.
To apply, people must show proof of identity like a social security card, voter registration card or a passport, and prove of address like a phone bill, according to the application.
"I encourage anyone who hasn't signed up to head to El Museo del Barrio to get their very own IDNYC," Cultural Affairs Commissioner Tom Finkelpearl said in a statement. "And if you've already got your card, now is the perfect opportunity to become a member of this extraordinary institution."
