I’m Kayla, based near Raleigh. I like clean lines, hot coffee, and anything that saves me a trip to a counter. So I set up North Carolina’s digital ID. I wanted less paper, less plastic, more calm.
And you know what? Parts felt smooth. Parts felt clunky. Both can be true.
Wait, what is “North Carolina digital ID”?
Quick plain talk:
- NCID is the state’s sign-in. It’s the account you use for a bunch of NC government sites.
- A “mobile driver’s license” (a license in your phone) is a separate thing. North Carolina has talked about it, and you may see demos, but it wasn’t widely accepted when I tested.
North Carolina officials now expect a statewide digital driver's license program to hit phones by mid-2025, according to this recent report.
If you’re curious about the open standards that make modern digital identity work, this short primer on OpenID breaks it down in plain English.
So this review is mostly about how NC’s digital identity works in real life, with a little on mobile ID hopes and headaches.
Setup: fast, but a little fussy
I made my NCID account on a Tuesday night. Kids were in bed. Dog snored like a tiny train.
- I used my email and set a strong passphrase I’d remember.
- It asked for two-step sign-in. I started with text codes. The codes came quick, except one night when Verizon was moody.
- After a week, I switched to an authenticator app on my phone. It felt faster and steadier.
Identity proofing was the slow part. I had to scan my NC driver’s license and take a selfie. The selfie check asked me to turn my head. My kitchen light threw weird glare across my face. I moved to the hallway and it passed. Little things, right? But they add up.
One more snag: my last name has a hyphen. NCID had my maiden name from years ago. DMV had my hyphen. I had to upload my marriage cert to close the gap. It took two business days. Not awful, just… a stall.
Real moments it helped me
These are the wins that stuck.
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Unemployment check-ins with DES
Last year, I had a short gap between gigs. I used NCID to sign in to the DES portal and submit weekly certifications. The first code text lagged once, and I missed the time-out. I tried again and learned to open the portal only after I had my phone ready. Lesson learned. After I moved to an authenticator app, those logins felt steady. States tackle this differently; Illinois, for example, bundles unemployment and tax services into one sign-on called ILogin—here’s how that rollout feels in practice. -
Pulling my vaccine record for school
Our school nurse needed proof for a form. I signed in with NCID, pulled my COVID shot record, and printed a PDF right from the kitchen table. Ten minutes. Zero phone calls. I could’ve cried happy tears, but I just ate a cookie. -
Ordering a certified driving record
I needed it for a contractor badge. NCID got me in, I paid the fee, and the record landed in my inbox. No lunchtime trek. No number ticket. It felt grown-up and boring in the best way. -
myNCDMV stuff (kinda)
I renewed my car tags on the myNCDMV site. Heads up: that site uses a separate login (it’s run by PayIt). So no, NCID didn’t carry over. I still got it done on my phone in five minutes. But I do wish a single sign-in worked across more places. Fewer passwords, fewer brain knots.
Where it fell flat
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Bars and age checks
I tried to show a “digital ID” screen at an ABC store. The cashier smiled and said, “We need the plastic, honey.” Fair. I pulled out my card. Moment passed. But it shows the gap: people want to see the real thing, not a phone screen. -
Airport use at RDU
I asked a TSA agent in the PreCheck line if a North Carolina phone ID was okay. The short answer was no. They accept phone IDs from some states and apps, but mine wasn’t on the list when I flew. I used my physical license, no drama. -
Name mismatch fun
That hyphen issue? It popped up again when a tax form used the old name. I fixed it, but it felt like whack-a-mole. -
Help desk response time
Support was polite, but replies took a day or two. Not a crisis, just plan for it.
Safety stuff I actually noticed
- Two-step sign-in mattered. I liked the authenticator app more than text. It felt faster and safer.
- The selfie check wasn’t creepy; it was practical. Lighting mattered a lot.
- I didn’t see my full license number splashed on screens. Good restraint.
- I saved recovery codes in a paper notebook. Old school, but if your phone falls in a lake, you’ll thank yourself.
Even outside of government portals, managing your digital footprint matters. Dates, DMs, and even playful banter can carry risks if you’re not thinking about screenshots and consent. Before you fire off that next suggestive emoji, take a minute to browse this guide to flirting and sexting — it offers smart pointers on keeping conversations fun, consensual, and private, so your spicy texts don’t come back to haunt you. Speaking of adult interactions, if you’ve ever skimmed city-specific boards that connect consenting adults for meetups, the Parkersburg edition of Listcrawler Parkersburg illustrates how platforms now bake in age gates and optional verification steps to weed out fakes and protect users—poking around for a minute shows you the filters, disclaimers, and safety cues in action before you ever create an account.
A quick side path: mobile driver’s license talk
I’ve seen demos for a phone-based license. It looks slick. Tap, show just your age, done. But here’s the catch: acceptance. Until law enforcement, TSA, and shops use it daily, the plastic card stays queen. That’s not shade. That’s just the street truth right now. If you want to see what broader buy-in can look like, my hands-on with Arizona’s program is worth a peek—that state’s mobile ID cleared TSA without a blink.
Tips if you want to try it
- Use a newer phone if you can. Old cameras hate liveness checks.
- Set up an authenticator app. Codes by text will work, but they lag sometimes.
- Match your name across DMV and NCID before you need it. Hyphens, middle names—clean it up now.
- Keep your physical license on you. You’ll still need it for traffic stops, flights, and most age checks.
- Write down your recovery codes in a safe place. Future you will cheer.
Who benefits most
- Parents dealing with school and sports forms.
- Contractors and nurses who need background checks or driving records.
- Folks filing unemployment or other benefits and don’t want a trip downtown.
- Anyone who hates paper but likes proof.
Small gripes, big picture
I want one clean sign-in for all state stuff, including myNCDMV. We’re not there yet. Also, rollout and rules feel uneven. Some sites love NCID. Some don’t know her. That zig-zag makes a simple task feel like a maze.
Still, when it works, it really works. Ten minutes saved here and there is real life back.
My verdict
- Setup: 4/5 (a few hoops, but fair)
- Daily use: 4/5 online, 1/5 in the wild
- Support: 3/5
- Trust feel: 4/5
Would I keep using it? Yes. Would I leave my wallet at home? Not yet. If you want an even nerdier play-by-play (screenshots included), my full blow-by-blow of the North Carolina setup lives here.
One last thing: Real ID and digital ID aren’t the same. Real ID is the little star on your physical license for federal checks. The North Carolina Department of Transportation has an easy breakdown of the requirements for getting a Real ID if you’re curious. A digital ID is your phone and your login. You may want both. I do.
If North Carolina keeps smoothing the edges—and brings more places on board—I can see this becoming normal. Quiet, boring, useful normal. And honestly, that’s the dream.