Get a REAL ID in Massachusetts

Get a Massachusetts REAL ID: start online, then bring 4 original documents to an appointment at an RMV Service Center (AAA members can upgrade a driver's license at some AAA locations). The card comes by mail.

Online?Start online, finish in personYou can start the application in the RMV's Online Service Center (you log in with a MyMassGov account), but the document check happens at an office.
Office visitOne visit, by appointmentSchedule an appointment at an RMV Service Center. AAA members can upgrade a driver's license at a AAA location; a Mass ID upgrade needs an RMV Service Center. Walk-ins who can't be helped right away may be offered a later slot if one is available.
Cost$50 license, $25 Mass ID$50 for a passenger (Class D) or motorcycle (Class M) license and $75 for a Class A, B or C license when you renew; a Mass ID renewal costs $25.
You leave withTemporary paper IDThe card is mailed to you; the RMV says 10-14 business days after a renewal and 10-14 days after a license transfer. The TSA does not accept the temporary paper REAL ID.

Your situation

What do you have now?
Are you upgrading when you renew, or before?

Only matters if you're upgrading a Massachusetts license or Mass ID. You can renew up to a year before it expires.

Is your current name different from the name on your passport or birth certificate?

Your plan

  1. Gather your documents

    • Accepted documents (bring 1)
      • U.S. passport or passport card
      • U.S. birth certificate (original or certified) (must list your full name, date and place of birth and your parents' full names, with the registrar's signature, filing date (within a year of birth) and seal; Puerto Rico certificates issued after July 1, 2010)
      • Consular Report of Birth Abroad (FS-240, DS-1350 or FS-545)
      • Certificate of Naturalization (N-550 or N-570)
      • Certificate of Citizenship (N-560 or N-561)
      • Permanent Resident Card (I-551) or temporary I-551 stamp in a foreign passport (must show a valid continuous 12-month stay)
      • Employment Authorization Document (I-766) (must show a valid continuous 12-month stay)
      • Foreign passport with a valid U.S. visa (with your I-94 (paper or printed from cbp.gov/i94); must show a valid continuous 12-month stay. With an I-20 or DS-2019, bring proof of your most recent admission)
    • Accepted documents (bring 1)
      • Social Security card (not laminated)
      • W-2 showing your 9-digit SSN
      • SSA-1099 or non-SSA-1099 showing your 9-digit SSN
      • Pay stub showing your 9-digit SSN
      • SSA denial notice with your passport, visa and I-94 (dated within 60 days)
    • Accepted documents (bring 2)
      • Current Massachusetts license, Mass ID or learner's permit, or RMV mail dated within 60 days (only one of these; Liquor ID not accepted)
      • Utility, cell phone, credit card, medical or insurance bill (dated within 60 days)
      • Current lease, mortgage or rental contract, or a mortgage statement dated within 60 days
      • First-class government mail, Medicaid statement, jury summons or court letter (dated within 60 days)
      • Property or excise tax bill for the current year
      • Bank statement or pay stub (dated within 60 days)
      • Federal tax document from the prior year, or a current pension, retirement or SSA statement
      • Current auto, renter's or homeowner's insurance policy
      • School transcript, tuition or enrollment letter (current year; letter dated within 60 days)
      • Alternative Residency Affidavit (for applicants under 18)

  2. Start your application online

    Log in to the RMV's Online Service Center with a MyMassGov personal account and start the REAL ID application; it checks that you have the right documents.

    REAL ID in Massachusetts on mass.gov ↗

  3. Book your appointment

    Schedule an appointment at an RMV Service Center. If you're upgrading a driver's license and you're a AAA member, you can instead reserve a visit at a AAA location online (up to two weeks ahead); AAA locations offer limited RMV services, and a Mass ID upgrade must be done at an RMV Service Center. If you no longer need an appointment, cancel it.

    Schedule an RMV appointment ↗

  4. At the office

    Bring all your original documents and the fee. You get a temporary paper document and the card comes by mail.

Common reasons people get turned away

  • Photocopies and laminated documents are not accepted, and a missing document means your REAL ID is not processed.
  • Residency documents marked 'within 60 days' must be dated within 60 days of your appointment, and P.O. box addresses don't count.
  • The temporary paper REAL ID you get at the office is not accepted by the TSA; fly with another accepted ID until the card arrives.
  • AAA locations serve AAA members only, by online reservation, and can't do Mass ID upgrades: those need an RMV Service Center.

Offices that issue REAL ID

You finish your REAL ID at an in-person appointment at an RMV Service Center; AAA members can also upgrade a driver's license (not a Mass ID) at a AAA location by reservation. Agency source.

28 offices in Massachusetts
42 other offices that handle licenses

Neither the office's service list nor the agency says these offices issue REAL ID. Call the office before you go.

Results show offices that issue REAL ID or may, nearest first, each labelled.

Read more

Sources · checked October 30, 2026

We wrote this plan ourselves from the official pages above on the date shown. Agencies change rules without notice: the official page always wins. DMVorganization.org is independent and not a government agency; we don't book appointments or take payments.