The N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles recognizes the documents below as proof of age and identity. No photocopies or altered documents will be accepted.
An individual's name must match one of the documents below, otherwise they must provide a proof of name change, such as a certified marriage license or certificate, divorce decree or document from the courts or Register of Deeds.
The documents below are acceptable proofs of age and identity for a REAL ID.
Birth certificate
| Certified birth certificate provided by a county Register of Deeds or state Vital Records Office or a U.S. Consular Report of Birth Abroad
| Must be the original or a certified copy issued by a U.S. government agency, a U.S. territory or Canada
|
U.S. passport
| Valid, unexpired passport from the United States
| Digital versions not accepted
|
Valid, unexpired foreign passport
| Valid, unexpired passport from any nation
| Must be accompanied by an affixed valid, unexpired U.S. visa and I-94 Arrival/Departure Record
|
REAL ID
| A valid, unexpired REAL ID driver license or ID card issued from a REAL ID-compliant state
| N/A
|
The documents below can prove your age and identity, but cannot be used to obtain a REAL ID.
Motor vehicle driver's record
| Certified or non-certified North Carolina driving record or a certified out-of-state driving record
| N/A
|
School documents
| North Carolina school transcript or registration signed by a school official
Diploma or GED from a North Carolina school, community college or university | Driver education certificates and report cards are NOT accepted
|
U.S. military ID
| Valid unexpired U.S. military ID, including DD-2, DD-214 U.S. Military Dependents Card U.S. Veteran Universal Access Card
| N/A
|
North Carolina Limited Driving Privilege
| Must be issued by a North Carolina court and cannot be expired more than one year
| N/A
|
U.S. government documents
| Valid, unexpired documents issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security or U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
| An expired immigration document may be valid if accompanied by a letter from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services extending the expiration date (e.g., I-797)
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