The North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles (NCDMV) announcing, which has expanded the hours of most of its offices around the state to give users additional time to complete their transactions.
The extended hours come at a time when airports in North Carolina and across the country will see the implementation of the REAL ID, a federal law passed 20 years ago in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
Just over half of users have requested REAL IDs.
With this federal law, passengers over 18 years of age who want to board domestic flights will have to present driver’s licenses or state IDs that meet REAL ID security standards.
REAL IDs are also required to enter federal buildings, military bases, and nuclear power plants. North Carolina began issuing REAL IDs with these security standards in 2017.
Marty Homan, director of communications for the NCDMV, provided Enlace Latino NC Some figures on applications for REAL ID identification and driver’s licenses.
About 4.4 million North Carolinians have applied for REAL ID (51%), while 4.2 million have not (49%).
“We had 185,000 in-person transactions in March. 82,000 of those were first-time REAL ID issuances. We had been averaging between 60,000 and 65,000. We expect demand to be high for a few more months,” Homan said.
However, if the passenger has not updated their state identification with the REAL ID, they may present other forms of identification at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints at airports. acceptable IDsAs an us passport or foreign current.
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When a REAL ID is not needed
No require a REAL ID driver’s license or identification card to do the following:
- Drive
- Vote
- Request or receive federal benefits (e.g., Veterans Affairs, Social Security Administration, etc.)
- Entering a federal facility that does not require identification (e.g., a post office)
- Access to a hospital or receive life-saving services
- Participate in law enforcement proceedings or investigations (e.g., serving on a federal jury, testifying in federal court, etc.)
When a REAL ID is required
A REAL ID can be useful for anyone who frequently:
- Board a commercial plane
- Visit to nuclear sites
- Visits to military bases
- Visit federal courthouses, federal prisons, or other federal facilities
A REAL ID can be renewed online every two years, just like non-REAL IDs.
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Schedule that benefits all users
The extension of hours in most of the 115 NCDMV offices operating in the state also benefits new users arriving in the state, as well as people who need to obtain their documents for the first time, or carry out other procedures such as titles or license plate registration, among others.
Starting April 7, a total of 92 license offices will be open an extra hour, or 10 hours a day, Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
“NCDMV continues to work to provide customers with more service hours to manage the state’s growing population,” said NCDMV Commissioner Wayne Goowin.
These expanded hours have been gradually implemented at NCDMV offices since September 2022, reaching 45 by August 2023. As of April 7, 42 more offices were added, for a total of 92, or 80% of the total.
You can see the complete list of offices operating with extended hours on the NCDMV site.
You may be interested in this article: New NCDMV Fees for 2024: Check Them Before You Go
Saturday summer time returns
The agency will also be open without an appointment from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Saturdays during the summer.
Approximately 17,000 transactions will be processed across 16 branches during the 12 Saturdays during the 2024 summer season.
This year, the division plans to expand Saturday service to a total of 20 offices, which will be open from Saturday, June 7, through August 23.
The four new offices are located in Elizabeth City, Clayton, Durham East, and Kernersville. The Raleigh East office will also be open during these hours, replacing the Raleigh North office.
These are the offices that operate on Saturdays
- Andrews – 1440 Main St.
- Asheville – 1624 Patton Ave.
- Charlotte North – 9711 David Taylor Drive
- Charlotte South – 201 W. Arrowood Road, Suite H
- Clayton – 1665 Old US Highway 70
- Durham East – 101 S. Miami Blvd.
- Elizabeth City – 1164 US Highway 17
- Fayetteville – 831 Elm St.
- Graham – 111 E. Crescent Square
- Greensboro – 2391 Coliseum Blvd.
- Greenville – 4651 N. Creek Drive
- Huntersville – 12101 Mount Holly-Huntersville Road
- Jacksonville – 299 Wilmington Highway
- Kernersville – 810A N. Main St.
- Monroe – 3122 WUS Highway 74
- Raleigh East – 4121 New Bern Ave.
- Raleigh West – 3231 Avent Ferry Road
- Salisbury – 5780 S. Main St.
- Wilmington – 2390 Carolina Beach Road, Suite 104
- Winston-Salem South – 2001 Silas Creek Parkway
You can find the complete list of driver’s license offices and their hours at the search engine that appears on the NCDMV site.
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