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Getting a North Carolina REAL ID
Your first North Carolina REAL ID cannot be obtained online. It can only be issued at a driver license office, where required documents will be scanned and permanently stored in your NCDMV record, as required by federal law.
Before heading to a driver license office to get your REAL ID, use our REAL ID Document Wizard to create a document checklist to make sure you have everything you need.
Create a personalized document checklist
Preparing for your visit
Use your checklist to gather the documents needed for your North Carolina REAL ID. Bring them as you visit a driver license office near you.
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What is REAL ID?
Beginning May 7, 2025, federal agencies will enforce the REAL ID Act, which requires a REAL ID, U.S. passport or another
federally approved identification to board commercial flights and enter secure federal buildings.
The North Carolina REAL ID is a REAL ID Act-compliant driver license or state ID card that is just like a traditional license or ID but has a star at the top. Driver licenses and IDs without a star are noted "Not for Federal Purposes."
North Carolina REAL ID driver licenses and IDs carry a star in the top right corner. 
Without a star, licenses and IDs now carry the stamp "Not for Federal Purposes."
North Carolina REAL ID is completely optional
You do not need a REAL ID driver license or identification card to do any of the following:
- Drive
- Vote
- Apply for or receive federal benefits (e.g., Veterans Affairs, Social Security Administration, etc.)
- Enter a federal facility that does not require an ID (e.g., a post office)
- Access a hospital or receive life-saving services
- Participate in law enforcement proceedings or investigations (e.g., serve on a federal jury, testify in federal court, etc.)
A REAL ID, however, might be helpful for anyone who frequently:
- Boards a commercial airplane
- Visits nuclear sites
- Visits military bases
- Visits federal courthouses, federal prisons or other federal facilities
An individual without a REAL ID or U.S. passport may still be able to board flights or make visits to the facilities mentioned above, but they may have to provide
additional documentation with their traditional license or ID.
Fees
Getting a North Carolina REAL ID driver license or ID card
costs the same as getting any other license or ID for the first time, and the process is similar.
Applying for a North Carolina driver license or ID card will cancel any licenses or ID cards from other states through the State-to-State Verification program.
If you get an North Carolina REAL ID outside of the renewal period, the cost is same as a
replacement license or ID card. You will have to take a new photo, but no tests are required.
The cost is the same as a
renewal if the REAL ID is obtained within six months of expiration. You will have to take a vision test and take a new photo.
Frequently asked questions
No. REAL ID licenses and ID cards are
completely optional.
Beginning May 7, 2025, however, having a REAL ID makes it more convenient if you frequently fly domestically or visit military bases, nuclear sites, federal prisons, federal courthouses or other federal facilities.
If you do not want to have a REAL ID, do not worry. You will still be able to fly and visit federal facilities. You will just need to provide another acceptable form of identification.
No. A REAL ID is not required for driving, voting, visiting the post office or doing anything else you normally do with a standard license or ID.
No. Your first REAL ID requires an in-person visit to a
driver license office so your documents can be scanned and added to your NCDMV record. Once you have a REAL ID, you can renew it online just like a standard license or ID card.
You can still do both. You will just need to provide another
acceptable form of identification, such as a passport, to board a domestic flight or enter secure federal facilities like military bases, nuclear power plants and federal installations.
Several secure federal locations in North Carolina require either a REAL ID or a standard license/ID plus another
federally accepted document. Examples include:
- Federal Correctional Complex in Butner
- Military bases
- Federal courthouses
- Nuclear power plants
There is no extra fee for a North Carolina REAL ID. The cost is the same as a standard driver license or ID card.
If you get a REAL ID within six months of your license expiring, you pay the regular renewal fee. If you get a REAL ID more than six months before expiration (outside the renewal period), it is processed as a replacement license, which costs $16.75.
Yes, but only in one simple way. A North Carolina REAL ID looks the same as a standard license or ID except for a star in the upper-right corner, which shows the card meets federal REAL ID requirements.
Standard licenses and IDs are marked "Not for Federal Identification" instead of having the star.
If
your current name is different from the name on your certified birth certificate, passport, or other identity documents, you must bring proof of your legal name change when applying for a REAL ID. Acceptable documents include:
- Certified marriage certificate or marriage license
- Divorce decree
- Certified court or Register of Deeds document
- Original or certified international marriage license (must included a raised seal or ink-stamp initials), accompanied by a Name
Change Affidavit
No. Your information is not shared. Driving records, including scanned documents used for REAL ID, are kept by NCDMV, and the state controls access to those records.
North Carolina, like every state, issues its own licenses, maintains its own database and manages who can access them. The federal government only requires that the documents used for REAL ID be scanned into your NCDMV record so the state can verify your identity.
REAL ID simply adds a higher level of security by making licenses and ID cards more consistent and harder to counterfeit.
No. The Transportation Security Administration does not require children under 18 to show ID when flying within the United States as long as they are traveling with an adult companion. The adult, however, must present acceptable identification.
No, but foreign citizens must have a passport recognized by the U.S. government to enter North Carolina.
NCDMV issues REAL ID licenses and IDs because the federal REAL ID Act of 2005 was created after the 9/11 terrorist attacks to strengthen identity verification and reduce fraudulent identification. The law set minimum security standards for all state-issued driver licenses and ID cards.
Beginning May 7, 2025, the Transportation Security Administration started enforcement REAL ID requirements at airport security checkpoints. Federal agencies also began requiring REAL ID-compliant identification, or another acceptable form of identification, to enter secure federal facilities.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security establishes the standards that REAL IDs must meet.