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Proving Age & Identity

​​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.

Important Note

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.


​Document Type​Acceptable Documents​Notes
​Birth certificate
  • Acceptable for REAL ID
  • Must be issued by a government agency in the United States, a U.S. territory or Canada
  • Photocopies not allowed unless certified by the issuing agency
​U.S. passport
  • Valid, unexpired passport from the United States
  • ​Digital versions not accepted
  • Acceptable for REAL ID
Valid, unexpired foreign passport
  • Valid, unexpired passport from any nation
  • Acceptable for REAL ID
  • 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 identification card issued from a REAL ID compliant state
  • ​Acceptable for REAL ID
​Motor vehicle driver's record
  • Certified or non-certified North Carolina Motor Vehicle Record
  • Certified out-of-state motor vehicle record
  • ​Not acceptable for REAL ID
​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
  • Not acceptable for REAL ID
  • Driver education certificates, driving eligibility certificates and report cards are unaccepted as proof of identification

​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
  • Not acceptable for REAL ID
​North Carolina Limited Driving Privilege
  • ​Must be issued by a North Carolina court
  • Cannot be expired more than one year
  • ​Not acceptable for REAL ID
​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)
  • ​Not acceptable for REAL ID
​Court documents
  • ​Official divorce decree
  • Court order for change of name or gender
  • Adoption papers
  • Certified court order for child support

  • Not acceptable for REAL ID
  • ​Court documents from U.S. jurisdiction, U.S. territories or Canada


1/20/2021 10:52 AM

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