North Carolina Required Identification Documents

One document from the handbook's Table 1 establishes your identity and date of birth. The list runs: a valid, unexpired U.S. passport; a certified copy of a birth certificate filed with a state office of vital statistics; a Consular Report of Birth Abroad (Form FS-240, DS-1350, or FS-545); a valid, unexpired Permanent Resident Card (Form I-551); an unexpired employment authorization document (Form I-766 or Form I-668B as the handbook lists them); an unexpired foreign passport with a valid unexpired U.S. visa plus the approved I-94 for your most recent admission; a Certificate of Naturalization (Form N-550 or N-570); a Certificate of Citizenship (Form N-560 or N-561); a REAL ID license or ID card showing your full name; a license or state ID card from North Carolina, another state, Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory, or a Canadian province, valid or expired less than two years; a certified or non-certified North Carolina motor vehicle record or a certified out-of-state one; a North Carolina school transcript or registration signed by a school official, or a diploma or GED from a North Carolina school, community college, or university; a valid unexpired U.S. military ID, including DD-2, DD-214, a dependents card, or a Veteran Universal Access Card; a certified document from a register of deeds or government agency in the United States, Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory, or Canada; a Limited Driving Privilege issued by a North Carolina court; valid unexpired DHS or USCIS documents; or court documents from a U.S., Puerto Rican, territorial, or Canadian jurisdiction. Two cautions carry real consequences. Several of those documents produce a card marked "Not for Federal Identification," so to obtain a REAL ID the identity document itself must be an unexpired REAL ID where that is what you are relying on. And driver education certificates, driver eligibility certificates, and report cards are not accepted as proof of identity. Photocopies that the issuing agency has not certified, laminated copies, and plastic replicas are refused.

Source: North Carolina Driver Handbook (2026), Chapter 1 (Table 1, Proof of Identity and Date of Birth), pp. 16-17: "You must provide proof of your identity and date of birth from the list of documents below ... No photocopies unless certified by Issuing agency; No laminated copies or plastic replicas." · Verified Oct 2026

Adults 18 and older must show two documents proving a North Carolina residence address, and only one is required for a renewal, a duplicate, or an upgrade to an ID card. Acceptable proofs include a document issued by a U.S. or foreign government agency; a document issued by another state; a document issued by North Carolina or one of its political subdivisions; a preprinted bank or corporate statement; preprinted business letterhead; a pay stub showing the payee's address; a utility bill; a signed North Carolina apartment, house, modular-home, or manufactured-home lease or contract; a personal property tax receipt or a North Carolina real property tax receipt; a current North Carolina auto insurance policy showing your address; a monthly or quarterly financial statement; a North Carolina vehicle registration card or title; a North Carolina voter precinct card; or North Carolina school records. Applicants under 18 may also use correspondence from a youth organization, a magazine subscription, a lease listing the minor as an occupant, tax records showing the minor as a dependent, medical or hospitalization records, a hunting or fishing license, a Social Security card stub showing an address, or a letter from the homeless shelter where they live.

Source: North Carolina Driver Handbook (2026), Chapter 1 (Tables 3 and 4, Proof of Residency), pp. 19-20 · Verified Oct 2026

One unredacted document showing your full Social Security number is required, from the handbook's Table 2. The accepted list is the Social Security card itself, with no photocopies and no laminated cards; a W-2 form; an SSA-1099 or non-SSA-1099; a pay stub carrying your name and full number; a DD-214 or other military record showing the full number; or another Social Security Administration document showing it in full. Medicare and Medicaid cards no longer print Social Security numbers and are not accepted. An applicant who is not eligible for a Social Security number presents documents establishing legal presence in the United States instead.

Source: North Carolina Driver Handbook (2026), Chapter 1 (Table 2, Social Security Number Requirement), p. 18 · Verified Oct 2026

A vision check is required in North Carolina for a learner permit, an original license, and any renewal done in person. If corrective lenses are what bring your vision up to standard, you must wear them whenever you drive and the license carries a corrective-lenses restriction. Driving without the lenses that restriction requires carries the same penalty as driving without a license.

Source: North Carolina Driver Handbook (2026), Chapter 1 (Vision), p. 9: "your vision must be checked to see that you meet certain standards." · Verified Oct 2026