New York City is debuting new government ID cards that will do more for residents than offer a form of I.D., and the benefits will be available for undocumented immigrants as well.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said the new cards, which debut in January, will be available to all residents, and offer a wide range of free memberships to 33 cultural institutions, from Carnegie Hall to the Bronx Zoo.

Officials have hinted the I.D.s will also eventually provide discounts for commercial entertainment venues such as movie theaters.

"We are not a city that wants to see great art and music and dance available only to a few," de Blasio. "We're a city that believes everyone benefits from deepening their connection to arts and culture."

He said that it was a way to offer identification to the half million undocumented New Yorkers and also a way to establish identification for other residents who currently don't have IDs.

This new method of including benefits and discounts is a way to entice those who refuse to get an I.D., or are not in need of a driver's license -- since NYC has one of the most robust public transportation systems in the country.

"The absence of an ID card is a problem in our society. It really inhibits the ability of people to do a lot of the things they have to do, and a lot of their interaction with government is inhibited," de Blasio said.

Though the cardholders will have memberships, which offer free admission to places like the Met, or discounted tickets to Carnegie Hall, the individuals will have to apply for the memberships at each location independently.

De Blasio had been pushing for the IDs to help undocumented immigrants and made it the cornerstone of his mayoral campaign.