What’s happening with the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles?
If you’ve had the misfortune of needing to visit the DMV lately, you may have waited a long time — a long time. According to a North Carolina Department of Transportation report, the average wait time in September reached two hours and forty-five minutes.
The DMV, part of North Carolina’s Department of Transportation, is where you take your driver’s license test and get a driver’s permit, or get regular, commercial or provisional licenses. You can also obtain your REAL ID. (More on that below.)
A main problem with DMVs across the state is low staffing levels. For example, in the town of Lillington in Harnett County, there is one DMV examiner per 56,000 people, according to a 2025 state audit of DMV operations.
How is North Carolina trying to fix the DMV’s problems?
In August, State Auditor Dave Boliek released a performance audit report with five main recommendations for the DMV. They are to:
- Hire consultants to make the DMV a more efficient operation
- Remove the DMV from under the DOT and let it operate as an autonomous agency
- Develop a plan to increase staffing
- Develop a customer service plan for the DMV
- Create a dashboard on wait times and other information, for management and the public to see
What is the latest and what do changes mean for people who need help?
The performance audit report recommended that the DOT and DMV should develop a transition plan to make the DMV an autonomous agency. Released in August, it recommended a transition plan be presented to the General Assembly and Governor’s Office within six months.
This week, DMV Commissioner Paul Tine released a five-year strategic plan, according to WRAL. The report said the agency has hired more people, streamlined online processes and made plans for new offices. Future plans include improving customer feedback systems, offering longer office hours, and using more self-service kiosks and mobile units.
Funding, modernization of technology and capacity were cited as areas of need before the changes can be fully implemented.
Accountability will be improved, according to the plan, through an internal performance dashboard as well as a public-facing dashboard.
What’s a REAL ID?
A REAL ID is a federal identification card that you can get at the DMV.
Airlines since May 2025 have required passengers to have a REAL ID or a passport to board any commercial flight. They’re also required to enter federal buildings.
A REAL ID can be a separate identification card. But in North Carolina, you can also get a REAL ID earmark — a star — on your driver’s license, which designates it as a REAL ID. It then acts as a dual driver’s license and REAL ID.
Does the TSA require a REAL ID for flying?
A REAL ID or a passport is required for adults 18 and older to fly on commercial airlines in the U.S.
Are minors required to have a REAL ID to fly?
Minors under age 17 and under aren’t required to have a REAL ID to fly on commercial airlines.
Are you required to present a REAL ID to a notary?
No, you aren’t required to present a REAL ID if you are meeting with a notary in North Carolina. You can present a REAL ID, a driver’s license, an ID from another state, or other acceptable ID, such as a passport, a military ID, or an ID from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
When is a REAL ID not required?
Owning a REAL ID is optional for adults. Here are other things that you can do without a REAL ID:
- Drive
- Vote
- Visit a hospital
- Receive medical care
- Enter a federal facility that doesn’t require ID, such as the post office
- Serve on a jury
- Apply for or receive federal benefits like Social Security
- Buy alcohol
I can’t get in at the DMV. Is my expired license still valid?If you have an expired license, it may still be valid for you to drive with it. The state legislature issued a moratorium on expired drivers’ licenses. This applies to standard vehicles, farm vehicles, passenger vans and delivery trucks.
Are there any practical tricks to making it through the DMV unscathed?There are a few practical tips for making it through the DMV. First, don’t wait until the last minute to renew your license. Appointments, which can be booked online for up to seven days in advance, become available daily after midnight.
If you’re going for a walk-in appointment, try going during off-peak times. You can call the DMV you’re planning to visit and ask in advance what times they are the least busy.
You may have better success visiting a DMV located outside of the place where you live. You can try checking a social media site like Reddit to see where other DMV-goers recommend. A half-hour or hour drive may be preferable to a long wait sitting down in your local DMV.
Make sure to bring all your documents with you. Bring a charged phone, water, book, etc. to keep you occupied while you wait.
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Read More:
- DMV office locations
- North Carolina Department of Transportation Real ID Information
This article first appeared on NCLocal and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
