Renew your driver's license in North Carolina

By · checked

Renew a North Carolina driver license or ID online, at a kiosk, in person or (in limited cases) by mail: who can renew online, when you must visit an office and how the card arrives.

Your situation

Is your current license or ID a REAL ID?
Online or in person
Yes, if eligible · Only in some casesNon-REAL ID licenses and state ID cards can be renewed online two times in a row. Online renewal is not available with a suspension or outstanding debt, a restriction other than corrective lenses, a commercial, Class A or B license, or a learner permit. Required if you are not eligible to renew online, and you cannot renew at a kiosk if you renewed online last time. In person, you may have to pass any required driver license tests. NCDMV says you can book an appointment online.
You leave with
New card by mailThe new license or ID arrives by mail within 20 business days.

Your plan

  1. Gather your documents

  2. Pick the one that fits you:

    1. Option 1: Renew online

      Enter your license or ID number to see whether you can renew online. NCDMV mails the new card.

      Renew now (myNCDMV) ↗

    2. Option 2: Renew at a self-service kiosk

      Bring your current or expired license or ID to a kiosk.

      Find a kiosk ↗

    3. Option 3: Renew in person

      Visit a driver license office with your current or expired license or ID.

      Find a driver license office ↗

    4. Option 4: Renew by mail while living out of state

      Only for NC residents temporarily living outside the state for at least 30 continuous days, once in your lifetime, with a Class C license expired less than two years, a photo on file issued within the last eight years, and under age 65. Send the renewal packet to NCDMV, 3176 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27697-3176; contact NCDMV before submitting to get the correct fee amount.

      Renew by mail ↗

Common reasons people get turned away

  • Online renewal is not available with a suspended license or outstanding debt to NCDMV, a restriction other than corrective lenses, a commercial, Class A or B license, or a learner permit.
  • A license renewed by mail is temporary and expires 60 days after you return to North Carolina, or on the expiration date printed on it if sooner.
  • Mail renewal needs a vision statement signed by a vision specialist or driver license examiner in the state where you temporarily live, completed within six months of your application date.

Offices that renew driver's licenses

NCDMV says you can renew online, at a self-service kiosk, in person at a driver license office or, in limited cases, by mail. Agency source.

139 offices where you can renew your licenseSee them on a map, search by county or show the ones open now

Largest cities with them: Charlotte (12) · Raleigh (6) · Greensboro (2) · Durham (2) · Winston-Salem (2) · Fayetteville (5) · Cary (2) · Wilmington (2)

1 more office where you may be able to renew your license

Neither the office's service list nor the agency says these offices issue driver's license renewal. Call the office before you go.

Results show offices where you can renew your license or may be able to, nearest first, each labelled.

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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.