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The Department of New Yorker Verification is an unofficial identity project run by artist and creative director Franz Aliquo—not a New York City agency, legal residency process, or authority on who truly belongs. Time Out New York reported on October 3, 2026, that its currently open application route is “By Origin”; a second route for transplants is still in development. The project turns the familiar debate over who gets to call themselves a New Yorker into a playful application exercise, not an objective test of identity.
What is the Department of New Yorker Verification?
Despite its municipal-sounding name and website, the Department is an independent project created by Franz Aliquo. It has no city-government authority and does not determine anyone’s legal residence or status. Its premise is to make the argument over who counts as a New Yorker into a set of application criteria.
Time Out New York reported that Aliquo was partly inspired by Jennifer Lopez’s viral assertion that a New Yorker must be born in the city. The project’s criteria are its own rules for a playful identity exercise; they do not settle the broader question of who can claim the identity.
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What are the two application routes?
Time Out’s October 3, 2026 report described two tracks, but only one was open at that time. The routes differ in both what they assess and how complete their criteria are.
| Route | Status in Time Out’s report | What it evaluates | How settled are the criteria? |
|---|---|---|---|
| By Origin | Open | High-school attendance or graduation in one of the five boroughs, plus qualifying birth or early-schooling evidence | Specific criteria were reported |
| By Experience | In development | Residence and hardship points | Full scoring schedule was unfinished |
What does the open “By Origin” route require?
According to Time Out, applicants must document attendance at or graduation from a high school in one of New York City’s five boroughs. They must also provide one of two additional forms of evidence:
- A birth certificate from one of the five boroughs; or
- Proof of continuous enrollment in New York City schools from first through fourth grade.
Being born in the city by itself is not enough under the reported criteria: the high-school requirement also applies. These are project-specific requirements, not a standard for legal residency or an official city credential.
How would “By Experience” work for transplants?
The proposed experience route is intended for people who moved to New York. Time Out reported a planned threshold of 1,000 points, with residence worth no more than 500 points and hardship worth at least 200. The complete scoring schedule was still unfinished, so those figures are not enough to calculate eligibility or predict an outcome.
Aliquo reportedly offered bedbugs, being mugged, and alternate-side parking as possible examples of hardship. They are examples described in the report, not a complete list of qualifying experiences. Since the track was still in development, its eventual requirements and availability may differ.
What evidence and outcome did the report describe?
Time Out reported that applicants may support their cases with materials such as leases, receipts, photographs, and witness testimony. Statements from bodega proprietors were said to carry particular weight. Successful applicants were reported to receive a free PDF certificate and a digital ID.
Those details reflect what Time Out reported about the project; they are not a guarantee that applications are currently being processed or that the same materials and outcomes remain available. The report does not establish the project’s privacy protections, formal terms, or ongoing processing arrangements.
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Can verification be revoked, and can applicants appeal?
The conduct clause described by Time Out allows verification to be revoked for disrespect toward the city or its people. The examples include contempt toward different nationalities, languages, or religions, as well as claiming to have “discovered” a neighborhood that was already inhabited.
Rejected applicants were reported to have one opportunity to appeal within 90 days. The stated appeal fee is one documented act of kindness toward a stranger. These are project rules as reported by Time Out, not a government appeals process.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Is the project an official test of who counts as a New Yorker?
No. It is an unofficial, playful identity project, and its application criteria apply only within that project. “By Origin” favors particular schooling and documentation histories; the proposed “By Experience” route is unfinished. Neither track establishes a universal or legally recognized definition of being a New Yorker.
Time Out’s report is dated October 3, 2026, and availability and application details can change. Anyone considering an application should check the project’s own current materials rather than treating the reported criteria as a guarantee of present processing.
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