How to Get a REAL ID
Getting a REAL ID driver's license or non-driver ID in New Hampshire, step by step: whether you need one, the documents to bring to a DMV appointment, and what it costs.
Checked against its sources October 17, 2026.
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At a Glance
A REAL ID is a driver’s license or non-driver ID marked with a star. Since May 7, 2025, you need one, or a passport or another accepted ID, to board a domestic flight or enter a secure federal building. In New Hampshire it is voluntary. You get one in person at a DMV office, when you renew or by appointment, with documents proving your identity, your Social Security number and that you live in New Hampshire.
Will you fly within the U.S. or enter secure federal buildings without a passport?
- YesConsider a REAL ID, and plan at least three months ahead.
- NoYou might not need one. A card without the star says Not for Federal Identification.
- Check which documents to bring, then make a DMV appointment.
- Go in person: a first REAL ID cannot be done online.
Step by Step
Decide whether you need one
A REAL ID license or ID has a star in the top right corner. Since May 7, 2025, you need one, or a passport or another accepted ID, to board a domestic flight or enter a secure federal facility such as a military base or a courthouse.
REAL ID is voluntary in New Hampshire. A card without the star is marked “NOT FOR FEDERAL IDENTIFICATION”, and you would show a passport or another accepted ID for those purposes instead. The Transportation Security Administration charges a fee to travelers who arrive without an accepted ID.
Gather your documents
You prove three things: your identity, your Social Security number, and that you live in New Hampshire. The DMV’s online document checker shows what to bring for your situation.
If your name has changed, through marriage, divorce, adoption or otherwise, your birth certificate or passport will show a different name, so bring proof of each change that links it to your current name. The document checker’s Name Change Wizard helps. If you are not a U.S. citizen, the DMV lists what to bring on its own page.
Online document checkerThe list of documentsIf you are not a U.S. citizen
Make an appointment
You can get a REAL ID when you renew, or upgrade before then by appointment. The DMV suggests booking at least three months before you need it. Bring the application for your kind of license (form DSMV 450 for a driver’s license or non-driver ID) with your documents. A first REAL ID cannot be done by online renewal.
Pay the fee
At renewal, a REAL ID driver’s license costs $60, against $50 for a driver’s license without the star, and a non-driver ID card costs $20. The law sets all three. If you upgrade before your renewal is due, the DMV also charges a replacement fee, which its REAL ID page gives. Other licenses cost different amounts; the DMV’s fees page lists them.
The law: RSA 263:42, I, RSA 260:21
Who Can Help
The Division of Motor Vehicles answers questions and books appointments at 603-227-4000.
In the Record
Chapter 263: Drivers' Licenses
Bills now before the General Court that would change it:
Laws that changed it since 2020, newest first:
- HB 1190-FN Became Law
- HB 1252 Became Law
- HB 1758 Became Law
- SB 617 Became Law
- HB 2-FN-A-LOCAL Became Law
- HB 464 Became Law
- HB 506-FN Became Law
- SB 266-FN Became Law