Get a REAL ID in Massachusetts

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Get a Massachusetts REAL ID: start online, then bring 4 original documents to an appointment at an RMV Service Center (AAA members can upgrade a driver's license at some AAA locations). The card comes by mail.

Your situation

What do you have now?
Are you upgrading when you renew, or before?

Only matters if you're upgrading a Massachusetts license or Mass ID. You can renew up to a year before it expires.

Is your current name different from the name on your passport or birth certificate?
Online or in person
Start online, finish in person · One visit, by appointmentYou can start the application in the RMV's Online Service Center (you log in with a MyMassGov account), but the document check happens at an office. Schedule an appointment at an RMV Service Center. AAA members can upgrade a driver's license at a AAA location; a Mass ID upgrade needs an RMV Service Center. The RMV's Ask the RMV page says it is currently accepting walk-ins for REAL ID at all RMV sites for people without another federally acceptable ID; walk-ins who can't be helped right away may be offered a later slot if one is available.
Cost
$50 license, $25 Mass ID$50 for a passenger (Class D) or motorcycle (Class M) license and $75 for a Class A, B or C license when you renew; a Mass ID renewal costs $25.
You leave with
Temporary paper IDThe card is mailed to you; the RMV says 10-14 business days after a renewal and 10-14 days after a license transfer. The TSA does not accept the temporary paper REAL ID.

Your plan

  1. Gather your documents

    • Show accepted documents (bring 1)
      • U.S. passport or passport card
      • U.S. birth certificate (original or certified) (must list your full name, date and place of birth and your parents' full names, with the registrar's signature, filing date (within a year of birth) and seal; Puerto Rico certificates issued after July 1, 2010)
      • Consular Report of Birth Abroad (FS-240, DS-1350 or FS-545)
      • Certificate of Naturalization (N-550 or N-570)
      • Certificate of Citizenship (N-560 or N-561)
      • Permanent Resident Card (I-551) or temporary I-551 stamp in a foreign passport (must show a valid continuous 12-month stay)
      • Employment Authorization Document (I-766) (must show a valid continuous 12-month stay)
      • Foreign passport with a valid U.S. visa (with your I-94 (paper or printed from cbp.gov/i94); must show a valid continuous 12-month stay. With an I-20 or DS-2019, bring proof of your most recent admission)
    • Show accepted documents (bring 1)
      • Social Security card (not laminated)
      • W-2 showing your 9-digit SSN
      • SSA-1099 or non-SSA-1099 showing your 9-digit SSN
      • Pay stub showing your 9-digit SSN
      • SSA denial notice with your passport, visa and I-94 (dated within 60 days)
    • Show accepted documents (bring 2)
      • Current Massachusetts license, Mass ID or learner's permit, or RMV mail dated within 60 days (only one of these; Liquor ID not accepted)
      • Utility, cell phone, credit card, medical or insurance bill (dated within 60 days)
      • Current lease, mortgage or rental contract, or a mortgage statement dated within 60 days
      • First-class government mail, Medicaid statement, jury summons or court letter (dated within 60 days)
      • Property or excise tax bill for the current year
      • Bank statement or pay stub (dated within 60 days)
      • Federal tax document from the prior year, or a current pension, retirement or SSA statement
      • Current auto, renter's or homeowner's insurance policy
      • School transcript, tuition or enrollment letter (current year; letter dated within 60 days)
      • Alternative Residency Affidavit (for applicants under 18)

  2. Start your application online

    Log in to the RMV's Online Service Center with a MyMassGov personal account and start the REAL ID application; it checks that you have the right documents.

    REAL ID in Massachusetts on mass.gov ↗

  3. Book your appointment

    Schedule an appointment at an RMV Service Center. If you're upgrading a driver's license and you're a AAA member, you can instead reserve a visit at a AAA location online (up to two weeks ahead); AAA locations offer limited RMV services, and a Mass ID upgrade must be done at an RMV Service Center. If you no longer need an appointment, cancel it.

    Schedule an RMV appointment ↗

  4. At the office

    Bring all your original documents and the fee. You get a temporary paper document and the card comes by mail.

Common reasons people get turned away

  • Photocopies and laminated documents are not accepted, and a missing document means your REAL ID is not processed.
  • Residency documents marked 'within 60 days' must be dated within 60 days of your appointment, and P.O. box addresses don't count.
  • The temporary paper REAL ID you get at the office is not accepted by the TSA; fly with another accepted ID until the card arrives.
  • AAA locations serve AAA members only, by online reservation, and can't do Mass ID upgrades: those need an RMV Service Center.

Offices that issue REAL ID

You finish your REAL ID at an in-person appointment at an RMV Service Center; AAA members can also verify their documents at a AAA branch by appointment. Agency source.

61 offices where you can get a REAL IDSee them on a map, search by county or show the ones open now

Largest cities with them: Boston (2) · Worcester (2) · Springfield (2) · Lowell (2)

9 more offices where you may be able to get a REAL ID

Neither the office's service list nor the agency says these offices issue REAL ID. Call the office before you go.

Results show offices where you can get a REAL ID or may be able to, nearest first, each labelled.

Read more

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Sources · checked October 30, 2026

We wrote this plan ourselves from the official pages above on the date shown. Agencies change rules without notice: the official page always wins. DMV Decoded is independent and not a government agency; we don't book appointments or take payments.