Need a REAL ID? These NC driver’s license offices are extending opening hours
The North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles is extending hours at dozens of driver’s license offices across the state, weeks before stricter identification laws are scheduled to go into effect.
REAL IDs, which are driver’s licenses or identification cards, satisfy those more stringent standards, and North Carolinians can get them at driver’s license offices.
“I am ecstatic that we are able to further expand our service hours,” DMV Commissioner Wayne Goodwin said in a news release.
A trip to the DMV often comes with long lines and delays, as the agency’s staffing has been unable to keep up with population growth. Earlier this year, the agency said it wanted to hire 61 people to fill open positions at driver’s license offices, especially in the Triangle and Charlotte area.
While added hours may allow for more DMV customers to be helped, it puts more pressure on DMV employees, who say they’re already stretched thin. Those feelings of burnout may have contributed to the high staff turnover at the DMV, perpetuating the problems, The News & Observer previously reported.
Here’s what to know about changes to driver’s license operating hours and REAL IDs.
List: NC driver’s license offices to open 1 hour earlier
Starting Monday, April 7, 42 additional DMV offices across the state will open an hour earlier, at 7 a.m., and close at 5 p.m. as usual.
This includes Triangle offices in Siler City (Chatham County) and Smithfield (Johnston County). No additional offices in Mecklenburg County are affected, but the locations in Mount Holly (Gaston County), Lincolnton (Lincoln County) and Statesville (Iredell County) will open at 7 a.m.
Here are the other offices that will open an hour earlier:
- Ahoskie (Hertford County)
- Albemarle (Stanly County)
- Boone (Watauga County)
- Burgaw (Pender County)
- Edenton (Chowan County)
- Elizabethtown (Bladen County)
- Elkin (Surry County)
- Forest City (Rutherford County)
- Franklin (Macon County)
- Hamlet (Richmond County)
- Havelock (Craven County)
- Henderson (Vance County)
- Hudson (Caldwell County)
- Jefferson (Ashe County)
- Kenansville (Duplin County)
- Laurinburg (Scotland County)
- Louisburg (Franklin County)
- Marion (McDowell County)
- Mocksville (Davie County)
- Morganton (Burke County)
- Mount Airy (Surry County)
- Nags Head (Dare County)
- Oxford (Granville County)
- Polkton (Anson County)
- Roanoke Rapids (Halifax County)
- Rocky Mount (Nash County)
- Roxboro (Person County)
- Sanford (Lee County)
- Shallotte (Brunswick County)
- Stedman (Cumberland County)
- Taylorsville (Alexander County)
- Thomasville (Davidson County)
- Troy (Montgomery County)
- Whiteville (Columbus County)
- Wilkesboro (Wilkes County)
- Wilson (Wilson County)
- Yadkinville (Yadkin County)
The change brings the total number of offices that open at 7 a.m. to 92, or 80% of the DMV’s 115 driver’s license offices. To see all offices that are currently open 7 a.m.-5 p.m., visit ncdmv.gov.
NCDMV offices open on Saturdays this summer
The agency will open 20 offices on Saturdays this summer for walk-in service, an increase of four offices from the 2024 season.
Offices in Elizabeth City, Clayton (1665 Old U.S. Highway 70), Durham East (101 S. Miami Blvd.) and Kernersville will be open from 8 a.m. until 12 p.m. every Saturday (except July 5) from June 7 through Aug. 23.
Instead of the Raleigh North office, which was open throughout the summer on Saturdays last year, the Raleigh East office, at 4121 New Bern Ave., will be open.
Here are the other Charlotte-area and Triangle offices open on Saturdays this summer for walk-ins, with no appointments necessary:
- Charlotte North: 9711 David Taylor Drive
- Charlotte South: 201 W. Arrowood Road, Suite H
- Huntersville: 12101 Mount Holly-Huntersville Road
- Monroe: 3122 W. U.S. Highway 74
- Raleigh West: 3231 Avent Ferry Road
- Salisbury: 5780 S. Main St.
When and how can you get a REAL ID?
The identification laws go into effect Wednesday, May 7. Travelers can get their REAL IDs before then, or after.
The first time you get a REAL ID, it must be obtained in person at one of the DMV’s 115 driver’s license offices. Find an office near you at ncdot.gov.
You do not need to have an appointment to get a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or identification card, but you can make an appointment up to 90 days in advance at skiptheline.ncdot.gov.
To get a REAL ID driver’s license in North Carolina, which has a star at the top, you need to provide:
- A document that proves date of birth and identity, such as a U.S. birth certificate, U.S. passport or another document issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security or the Citizenship and Immigration Service.
- A document with your full name and full Social Security Number
- Two documents with your current physical address to prove North Carolina residency
- One document proving liability insurance coverage from a provider licensed to do business in North Carolina
- One of more documents verifying name change (if applicable)
- For non-U.S. citizens, one document with full name proving legal presence or lawful status
People who are getting a N.C. REAL ID identification card (not a driver’s license) do not need to provide a document proving liability insurance coverage.
Do you need a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license?
No.
The REAL ID-compliant driver’s license is not the only form of identification that satisfies the new standards.
To board a commercial flight or enter a secure federal building, you can also use identification such as a U.S. passport or U.S. passport card. See a full list of acceptable identification at tsa.gov.
What can you do without a REAL ID?
If you don’t have a REAL ID-compliant card, you can still:
- Drive
- Vote
- Apply for or receive federal benefits from agencies such as Veterans Affairs or the Social Security Administration
- Enter a federal facility that does not require an ID (for example, a post office)
- Access a hospital or receive life-saving services
- Participate in law enforcement proceedings or investigations, such as serving on a federal jury or testifying in federal court
Making an appointment at NCDMV
Several DMV services — such as renewing a driver’s license or ID or registration — may be handled online (or sometimes, a nearby Harris Teeter).
However, some business must be done in person.
North Carolinians can make an appointment at DMV driver’s license offices, but openings may fill up fast, especially around the Triangle, Charlotte and Asheville. Plus, appointments can only be made 90 days in advance, and the agency only accepts appointments in the morning; afternoons are reserved for walk-ins.
This story was originally published April 2, 2025 at 1:05 PM.
