Does your license have a small gold star in the top right corner indicating it is a Real ID? This week, the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles added hours to accommodate the influx of appointments as a May 7 deadline looms.
Starting this week, the Kernersville DMV located at 810A North Main Street is open two hours earlier, operating 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The hours between 7:00 a.m. to noon are reserved for appointments only while the whole afternoon is open for walk-ins. As of this writing, all online appointments are booked for 90 days out, however, slots do become available in the event of cancelations. As one patron put it, “You just have to keep refreshing the page, you might get lucky.”
From June 7 to August 23, with the exception of July 5, the office will also be open Saturdays from 8:00 a.m. to noon for walk-in services only.
Following next month’s deadline, a Real ID, passport, or other federally approved form of identification will be required prior to passing through TSA checkpoints or entering secure federal buildings such as courthouses, prisons, and military bases.
The Real ID Act was passed in 2005 in an effort to establish minimum security standards and reduce fraud. Its enforcement date has already been pushed back several times.
The N.C. Department of Transportation website details the documents needed to obtain a Real ID: one document showing full name and date of birth, one document with full name and full social security number, two documents with an address confirming North Carolina residency, one document proving liability insurance coverage, and any name change or legal status verification documents, if applicable.
The Real ID is optional — it is not required to drive, vote, receive federal benefits, or serve on a jury. It is beneficial, however, for those who plan to fly or visit certain federal facilities.
Find more information on the Real ID process here.
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