Proving Age & Identity

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​​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

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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.

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Table Caption

​Document Type	​Acceptable Documents	​Notes
​Birth certificate	Certified birth certificate provided by a county Register of Deeds or state Vital Records Office U.S. Report of Consular Birth Abroad	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

Last updated Jan. 20, 2021