With the arrival of summer and when more users want to update their driver's license and identification with the REAL ID, the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles (NCDMV), began offering Saturday hours at its busiest offices.
The division announced that it will have 20 offices around the state that will be open to their customers without having to make an appointment, during business hours. 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. . until he 23 August . Only on Saturdays, June 28 and July 5, they will be closed for the holidays.
More users are applying for their REAL ID
La summer season It's the busiest time for NCDMV offices, and even more so in recent months as the government began enforcing new ID security standards at airports and some federal sites under the REAL ID Act, which went into effect 20 years after being passed by Congress on May 7.
The Transportation Security Administration (ATF) reported that 91.5% of passengers passing through checkpoints at North Carolina airports since May 7 have a REAL ID, or other acceptable identification such as a passport.
According to the agency, those without acceptable identification are subject to additional checks.
Related: Who needs to process the REAL ID?
When is it necessary to obtain the REAL ID?
With the TSA checking REAL ID cards at airports, NCDMV Commissioner Paul Tine encourages North Carolinians to learn about the requirements:
- Unless you have upcoming domestic air travel or are visiting a federal building, there's no need to rush to the DMV.
- The DMV will continue to issue the REAL ID
- Passports, military IDs, and Global Entry cards are acceptable substitutes for a REAL ID.
For more information about the REAL ID, the requirements and a guide to applying for it, you can visit the site NCREALID.gov
You may be interested: Can you travel by plane within the United States if you are undocumented?
20 NCDVM offices offering Saturday hours
Because the NCDMV doesn't have enough staff, it can't offer Saturday hours at all of its offices, so it selected the busiest ones.
Last summer, the NCDMV served nearly 17,000 people during Saturday hours in 16 offices. The department added four more this summer, including Elizabeth City, Clayton, Durham East, and Kernersville.
Saturday walk-in hours are available at the following 20 offices:
- Andrews , 1440 Main St.
- Asheville , 1624 Patton Ave.
- North Charlotte , 9711 David Taylor Dr.
- South Charlotte , 201 W. Arrowood Rd., Suite H
- Clayton , 1665 Old US Hwy. 70 W. (Shotwell Station)
- Durham , 101 S. Miami Blvd.
- Elizabeth City , 1164 US Hwy. 17 S.
- Fayetteville, 831 Elm St. (Eutaw Village)
- Graham, 111 E. Crescent Square
- Greensboro , 2391 Coliseum Blvd.
- Greenville, 4651 N. Creek Dr.
- Huntersville, 12101 Mount Holly-Huntersville Rd.
- Jacksonville, 299 Wilmington Hwy.
- Kernersville , 810-A N. Main St.
- monroe, 3122 US Hwy. 74 W.
- East Raleigh , 4121 New Bern Ave. (Wilder's Grove)
- West Raleigh , 3231 Avent Ferry Rd.
- Salisbury, US 29 S, 5780 South Main St.
- Wilmington , 2390 Carolina Beach Rd., Suite 104 (South Square Plaza)
- Winston-Salem , 2001 Silas Creek Pkwy
What procedures can be carried out
Users will be able to complete most procedures during Saturday business hours:
- Driver's license for the first time, renewal and duplicates,
- First-time IDs, renewals, and duplicates,
- Address changes
- REAL ID
- Practical driving test for people who have already completed the written test
Related: Don't speak English and need to take your NCDMV driving test? Here's what you can do.
Online procedures
The agency also encourages users to check its website to see if they can complete their procedures online, instead of having to go to the offices to wait in line.
You can see a list of all online services in the NCDMV website, what includes:
- Renewal and duplicate of driver's license
- Renewal and duplicate identification
- Payment of vehicle taxes
- Paying taxes on a new vehicle
- Renovation of the car registration
- Order a duplicate registration card
- Order personalized and specialized plates
Some tips to avoid long lines
To avoid long lines on Saturdays, and during the week in general, the NCDMV offers some helpful tips:
- Look for appointments in more distant locations or check the website for cancellations: More remote offices often have fewer people, and cancellations can open up new opportunities.
- Avoid going to the most popular offices: Some DMV offices are more popular than others, which means they tend to have more people and longer waits.
- Arrive early or midweek: People tend to go to the DMV early in the morning or late in the middle of the week, so it's best to avoid those times if possible.
- If no appointment is found, wait until noon: If you can't find an appointment, please arrive at the office before noon to increase your chances of being seen.
Other options
Some users have suggested visiting the DMV around 2:00 pm or 3:00 pm midweek, when the line is typically shorter.
Walk-in assistance:
The NCDMV is testing a system where it serves all walk-in customers on a first-come, first-served basis.
Check the wait times at each branch: If you don't have an appointment, you can check the wait times at each branch to see if they accept walk-ins and what the current wait times are.
You can check wait times, appointments, and other information at all offices around the state at the search engine which appears on the NCDOT website.
No driving tests are offered after 4 p.m.
Please note that driving tests are not offered after 4:00 pm.
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