Some North Carolina residents will have two more years to renew their expired driver’s licenses under a new state law.
Senate Bill 391 became effective on July 1 when Gov. Josh Stein signed it into law, establishing a temporary moratorium on the expiration of standard passenger-vehicle driver's licenses in North Carolina.
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Customers are allowed to present expired class-C licenses for in-state driving privileges only if the expiration date is July 1, 2025, or later.
The moratorium is in effect through Dec. 31, 2027, applies only to class-C licenses — used for standard passenger vehicles — and allows continued in-state driving privileges during the two-year period.
Expired licenses won’t be valid for any purpose other than establishing the license holder's driving privilege, including identification purposes and air travel, and may not be recognized by other states or federal entities. The moratorium does not apply to commercial driver licenses, or any licenses that are suspended, revoked or cancelled.
“We advise our customers to renew their licenses to ensure they remain valid for identification purposes, including to fly, rent a car, get a bank loan, fill a prescription and have documents notarized,” Paul Tine, the commissioner of the Division of Motor Vehicles, said in a statement.
The passage of the bill comes after the Transportation Security Administration’s requirement for the use of the Real ID when boarding a flight. The requirement went into effect on May 7. The requirement has led to a crush of customers at state DMV offices — at a time when the division was already experiencing long lines due in part to staffing shortages. The bill aims to reduce the backlog.
Previous: Teen drivers, DUIs and expired licenses: Motorist bills could stretch state's beleaguered DMV
New NC DMV commissioner took over in May
Tine took over as DMV commissioner in May, replacing Wayne Goodwin, who had led the DMV since 2022.
The DMV has focused on process improvements to speed customer service. The division revamped its website and removed the wait time tracker, which had frequently misled customers by showing estimated waits of 30 minutes or less, only for them to end up waiting for hours.
And it added weekend hours. Through Aug. 23, NCDMV will offer walk-in services at 20 locations on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon. Available services include driver license and ID card renewals, duplicates, address changes, REAL ID issuance, and road tests for those who have completed knowledge and written tests.
The NCDMV provides many services digitally, such as license and ID renewals, duplicates, address changes, and voter registration applications. Those resources can be found at the division’s website.