The card, dubbed IDNYC, was approved last year and became available to New Yorkers yesterday. It is aimed at those who do not currently have an ID, including the elderly, homeless and an estimated 500,000 immigrants in the city who live in the US without legal documentation.
Mayor Bill de Blasio called the card "a gateway to city services."
"It is the key to opening a bank account or getting a library card, and the ticket to many of our city's finest cultural institutions," said the mayor. "More than that, this card represents who we are: New Yorkers who value equality, opportunity and diversity."
All New Yorkers age 14 and older are eligible, as long as they can prove their identity and city residence. Applicants without a home address may prove residency by providing a letter from a city agency, nonprofit organisation, religious institution, hospital or health clinic where their mail is received.
"Everybody needs ID. This is New York: a great city. A great opportunity," said Garcia, a native of Colombia who has lived in New York about 15 years.
To prevent any possible stigma that the ID is only carried by immigrants who are in the country illegally, the city has created an incentive program to entice all New Yorkers, regardless of their immigration status, to get a card. Cardholders will be eligible for free memberships at many of the city's signature cultural institutions as well as other discounts.