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VETERAN on Your Licence, Free

North Carolina prints VETERAN on a driver licence or ID at NO COST FOR THE DESIGNATION — you pay only whatever the ordinary renewal or duplicate would have cost. Proof is a DD-214 or equivalent discharge documentation. Its use is as everyday evidence of prior service at a counter, which in North Carolina is worth having: the camping discount, the lake day-entry rate and the trout waters exemption are all checked in person.

Verified August 27, 2026

What this benefit is

North Carolina prints VETERAN on a driver licence or ID at NO COST FOR THE DESIGNATION — you pay only whatever the ordinary renewal or duplicate would have cost. Proof is a DD-214 or equivalent discharge documentation. Its use is as everyday evidence of prior service at a counter, which in North Carolina is worth having: the camping discount, the lake day-entry rate and the trout waters exemption are all checked in person.

What it's worth: VETERAN printed on the licence or ID at no cost for the designation

  • NO COST FOR THE DESIGNATION ITSELF. Ordinary renewal and duplicate fees still apply.
  • Proof is a DD-214 or equivalent discharge documentation.
  • Available on a driver licence or an ID card.
  • Its practical use is as everyday proof at a counter.
  • Several North Carolina benefits — camping, lake entry, trout waters — are checked in person, which is where this earns its place.

Who is entitled to it

  • You served in the U.S. armed forces.
  • Your discharge meets the test.
  • North Carolina licences and IDs.

Not sure whether that describes you?

Answer a few questions about this benefit specifically — we only ask what this one actually depends on, and we stop as soon as we know.

How to claim it

  1. 1Ask at your next renewal, so the ordinary renewal fee covers the visit.
  2. 2Take your DD-214 or equivalent discharge documentation.
  3. 3Once it is on, use it for the camping discount, the lake day-entry rate and the trout waters exemption.
  4. 4Keep the DD-214 anyway for anything with a statutory documentation requirement.
  5. 5An ID card carries the designation too, if you do not drive.
Form
Requested at a Division of Motor Vehicles office
File with
NC Division of Motor Vehicles
Documents you will need
dd214
No renewal
Once granted it does not need renewing.
Worth knowingAsking at renewal rather than mid-cycle avoids paying a duplicate licence fee for the sake of the marking.

Sources

This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.