Get a REAL ID in North Carolina

Get a North Carolina REAL ID: bring your documents to any driver license office, since your first REAL ID can't be obtained online. There is no extra REAL ID fee.

Online?No, first REAL ID in personYour first North Carolina REAL ID can't be obtained online. Once you have one, you can renew it online.
Office visitOne visit to a driver license officeWalk in any time the office is open (until it reaches capacity), or book an appointment up to seven days ahead.
CostNo extra REAL ID feeWithin six months of expiration you pay the regular renewal fee. Earlier, it's processed as a replacement, which costs $16.75.

Your situation

Do you want a REAL ID driver license or a REAL ID ID card?
Are you a U.S. citizen?
Is your current name different from the name on your birth certificate or other identity documents?

Your plan

  1. Gather your documents

    • Accepted documents (bring 1)
      • Certified birth certificate (from a county Register of Deeds or the state Vital Records Office; issued in the U.S., a U.S. territory or Canada. Puerto Rico certificates must be issued July 1, 2010 or later)
      • U.S. Report of Consular Birth Abroad
      • Valid, unexpired U.S. passport
      • Valid, unexpired foreign passport (with a valid, unexpired U.S. visa and an I-94 Arrival/Departure Record)
      • Valid, unexpired REAL ID driver license or ID card from a REAL ID-compliant state
    • Accepted documents (bring 1)
      • Social Security card
      • 1099 tax form (no other IRS form is acceptable)
      • W-2 form
      • Payroll record
    • Accepted documents (bring 2)
      • Document from the State of North Carolina, an N.C. county or city, or the federal government
      • NC vehicle registration card, insurance policy or title
      • NC voter precinct card
      • Military orders or military documents
      • Utility or cable bill
      • Lease or housing contract, mortgage statement, or property or income tax statement
      • Preprinted financial statement
      • School records
      • Letter from a homeless shelter
    • Accepted documents (bring 1)
      • Insurance policy (showing when it was issued and when it expires)
      • Insurance card (with your name, policy number, and effective and expiration dates)
      • DL-123 insurance form
      • Insurance binder
      • Form letter following the DL-123 form
  2. Build your checklist online

    NCDMV's REAL ID Document Wizard makes a checklist of the documents to bring.

    REAL ID Document Wizard on ncdot.gov ↗

  3. Book an appointment or walk in

    Driver license offices take walk-ins all day, until the office reaches capacity. You can also book an appointment up to seven days ahead and pick Driver License – First Time, Driver License Duplicate, Driver License Renewal or ID Card in the scheduler. Confirm the booking within 15 minutes or the slot is released.

    Driver license appointments on ncdot.gov ↗

  4. Visit a driver license office

    Bring your documents and a payment method to any driver license office. Staff review your original identity, citizenship and legal presence documents, and your documents are scanned and stored in your NCDMV record. Expect a new photo; within six months of expiration you also take a vision test.

    Find a driver license office on ncdot.gov ↗

Common reasons people get turned away

  • Photocopies, laminated cards and metal or plastic replicas of a Social Security card are not accepted.
  • Birth certificate photocopies are not accepted unless certified by the issuing agency.
  • Digital versions of a U.S. passport are not accepted.
  • Medicare cards, DD-214 forms, military records and other Social Security Administration documents can't be used to get a REAL ID.
  • Puerto Rico birth certificates issued before July 1, 2010 are not accepted.

Offices that issue REAL ID

NCDMV says your first REAL ID can only be issued at a driver license office, and you can get one at any driver license office. Agency source.

120 offices in North Carolina
1 other office that handle licenses

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

154 offices where you can't get it

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.