RALEIGH – Residents whose driver licenses or permits are suspended or revoked will now receive a state-issued identification card from the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles.

The N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles began the process this week of issuing state identification cards to residents with revoked, suspended, cancelled or disqualified driver licenses. The N.C. General Assembly passed the law during the 2018 session and it took effect this week.

People who have driver licenses revoked, suspended, disqualified or cancelled will be issued an identification card upon surrender of their most recent driver’s license. The state-issued identification card will not entitle people to drive but can be used as a form of photo identification for other purposes.

Under the new law, DMV will mail the identification card to an individual after the DMV receives the seized or surrendered license. The ID card is free of charge and people do not need to apply to receive it. DMV will mail the ID card to the person’s address on file.

The ID card is valid until the suspended or revoked driver license is reinstated or reissued by the NCDMV. The ID card issuance is not retroactive and applies to driver licenses that were surrendered starting May 1.

Meanwhile, DMV offers driver license and REAL ID renewals, as well as many other services online. Customers are encouraged to check the official DMV website at MyNCDMV.gov to see if their driver license needs can be met online.