N.C. REAL ID requirements in North Carolina

WHAT IS THE N.C. REAL ID, AND WHEN IS IT STARTING TO BE ISSUED in North Carolina?

The N.C. REAL ID is a new type of Identification card that you will have to get before October 1st 2021. This card is issued with more secure standards in every State. You will need this new card when you need to identify yourself for official purposes, and the Federal agencies will be obligated to request it to you in case you need to access any Federal Facilities, enter Nuclear Power Plants or even if you are about to board a commercial aircraft around the States.

The deadline to get your brand new N.C. REAL ID card is the first of October 2021, it is set that by this time, all the different States will be able to issue them. If you are an american citizen or an american legal resident, you will have to apply for this new type of identification to be able to move around the United States.

As we said before, the deadline to get your N.C. REAL ID is October 1st, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), will only accept this new Identification cards and Driving licenses that comply with the N.C. REAL ID standards and given by a N.C. REAL ID compliant State. The Department of Homeland Security is working really hard to help and assist all the american territories for them to be able to issue the new N.C. REAL ID cards before October.

The N.C. REAL ID is not a national identification card, and it doesn't create a centralized federal database. We would like to leave clear that every State will keep issuing their own cards with its characteristics and will keep having their own records.

In some States, the security Standards are already set up to the N.C. REAL ID ones, so in this States, the card issue will work as a N.C. REAL ID. These States are: New York, Vermont, Minnesota, Michigan and Washington.

To get your N.C. REAL ID card you will have to make an appointment on your State driving license agency website and check the required papers you will have to present, most of the States will request documentation that shows your Full name and date of birth, your Social Security Number, your address and your legal Status.

If your card has one of the following marks (Check Image below), it may comply with the N.C. REAL ID standards, but if you are not sure that your ID is compliant with the N.C. REAL ID Identification card please look for assistance.

If you are not sure that your ID card complies with the N.C. REAL ID, just make an appointment and ask your agency before risking yourself to being denied to entrance any facility or in case you need to fly around the States. In this last case, if you still do not have ready your N.C. REAL ID for October 1st, you can still travel around using your passport; the Transportation Security Administration website offers some other interested information you may check before your flight.

WHO IS ENTITLED TO HAVE A N.C. REAL ID in North Carolina?

Every American citizen must have a N.C. REAL ID card or an Identification card that is compliant with the N.C. REAL ID model.

Some States regularly issue some identification cards to non citizens or immigrants with no documentation, in this scenario, the N.C. REAL ID allows this States to issue driver's licenses and IDs to this group of people, always with some different characteristics and or another color. If this is your situation and you want to check if there is a chance to get a N.C. REAL ID for yourself, we recommend you to visit the DHS website to check what are your options.

The N.C. REAL ID card can also be requested for those people who have an Employment Authorization Document and a Social Security NUmber. These kinds of cards are temporary, and expire when the EAD expires.

There have been some modifications and additions to the N.C. REAL ID Act, so if you are not sure you are entitled to have this Identification card, we recommend you to ask for assistance to you local State Agency or to visit the DHS website.

Flying in a commercial aircraft after/before October 1st 2021.

ccording to the DHS and TSA, before October 1st, all American citizens and residents will be allowed to board a flight with their current ID card or driver's license. After October 1st 2021, if you plan to fight and you don't have a passport (which may be another valid way to identify yourself to the authorities), keep in mind that the boarding will be denied and you will not be able to pass through the checkpoint at the airport, as the regular ID card will not longer be accepted and a N.C. REAL ID will be mandatory to be able to board.

The N.C. REAL ID is not required by children under 18 years old travelling accompanied, in this case, a valid ID will be enough to cross the security at the airport.

If you are planning to cross borders between the States and Mexico or Canada, please bear in mind that the N.C. REAL ID is not accepted to cross the border, nor even works as a valid ID to travel in an International cruise, a passport instead will be necessary to allow you to make this international travel. You will have your N.C. REAL ID to only be used to travel inside the United States.

WHAT OPTION DO I HAVE IF MY STATE DOES NOT COMPLY WITH THE N.C. REAL ID?

In the case you find out that by the time when October comes your States does not issue this new type of identification, you will have two options:

Report the situation to the DHS - In some scenarios there is the possibility that the jurisdiction will be granted with an extension, in which case the DHS will closely work with their officials to comply with this new rule ASAP.

You can apply for a regular ID, the one can be used for certain purposes except for the official ones. In this case, your ID will have some inscription establishing that your ID "Is not valid for official purposes", so it will have to be replaced in some cases for example by the passport.

What is the Enhanced Driver's License:

If you live in New York, Washington, Minnesota, Michigan or Vermont, you may already have your enhanced driver's license. These kinds of cards are acceptable as Border-crossing documents and are only issued by the States of Washington, New York, Minnesota, Vermont and Michigan. The Secretary of Homeland Security established these cards as acceptable to enter the States by land and sea ports complying with the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, this is due to the fact that this particular card is issued in a secure process, like the N.C. REAL ID ones, and that includes new technologies like a Radio Frequency Identification Chip.

Compliance with the N.C. REAL ID in North Carolina