Frequently Asked Questions - Driving Eligibility Certificates

 A DEC is used to verify that a student is meeting academic and enrollment expectations for the state of North Carolina and therefore in combination with the other requirements outlined in § 20-11 (d) (1), (2), and (3) may obtain either a limited driver's learner permit or a provisional (limited or full) driver's license.  Therefore, adequate time must have elapsed for a chief administrator to determine if a student is meeting academic and enrollment expectations.

If you are the chief administrator of a North Carolina non-public school (home or conventional) which is registered with DNPE and meets all current North Carolina requirements for such a school, go to the main menu and request the DEC.

After this information has been electronically recorded, the DECs will then be mailed via US mail within 2 business days.

There is no DEC financial cost involved.

Only one DEC is needed for each student.  Additional ones are not required as the student moves up through the various license levels.  A second DEC would be needed only after the student's license was revoked.

Conventional non-public schools must first have the parent/guardian read, complete and sign Section 1 in the upper half of the form, which includes the parent/guardian's signature and date.  Section 2 of the DEC form (including the Signature of School Official line) is then to be completed by the school's chief administrator (or his/her designee). 

For students enrolled in home schools, the parent/guardian completes section 1 of the form.  Section 2 of the form must be completed (including the Signature of School Official line) by the chief administrator of the home school.  (This may be the same person.)  On the Name of School/Agency line, home school administrators will enter the name of the home school as it appears in the DNPE home school database. 
Once the non-public school official (home or conventional) has completed Section 2 of the DEC form and placed his/her signature there as well as entered the issue date (when the form was given to the student), the form will be accepted by the North Carolina DMV only within the next 30 days from that date.

No.  The student must first successfully complete a State of North Carolina approved Driver Education course and receive the North Carolina Driver Education completion certificate.

After that is completed, the student obtains his/her official State of North Carolina Driving Eligibility Certificate (DEC) from the principal of the North Carolina school in which the student is currently enrolled. 

When the under age 18 student is ready to go to the local North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles office to obtain his/her driver's permit/license, the student must present to DMV the student's birth certificate, the official State of North Carolina Driver Education course completion certificate, the official State of North Carolina Driving Eligibility Certificate and his/her social security number. 

High school students under age 18 currently living at home in North Carolina but (in lieu of conventional school attendance) taking courses toward a high school diploma through a distance learning program, can obtain a DEC only through the chief administrator of the North Carolina home school in which the student is currently enrolled.

For the home school chief administrator to obtain a DEC to issue to the student, the North Carolina home school must be currently registered with the North Carolina Division of Non-Public Education and be currently meeting all North Carolina laws governing the operation of the home school.

In completing the Notice of Intent for a home school, the parent must give his/her own name as owner, chief administrator and provider of academic instruction as well as his/her US Postal Service and email addresses and telephone number for the home school - not for the distance learning program.

On the form, do not list any information about the distance learning program in which the student is also enrolled.

Families who opt not to establish a homeschool while their children attend an out-of-state online private school should follow the instructions below to request a DEC from our division:

Restrictions for Teen Drivers: Anyone under age 18 must be enrolled in school and be making progress toward a high school diploma or GED to stay eligible for a Driving Eligibility Certificate, which is a requirement for graduated licensing.

1. Proof of enrollment in the out of state online private school. DNPE needs proof of enrollment of at least 4 months in the school.
2. A copy of the most recent report card proving the student is meeting the NC Teen Driving requirement of adequate progress towards graduation.
3. Name of student and date of birth
4. Parent’s name, address, telephone number and email contact.

Please email all above information to DEC@doa.nc.gov. Once your request is received, it will be processed and mailed to you. Please allow up to 8 days for the USPS to deliver the document.

No.  The North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles accepts only original official State of North Carolina Driving Eligibility Certificate (DEC) forms which have been properly imprinted, completed and signed.
No facsimiles are accepted.

A student who has permanent residency in North Carolina but attends such out-of-state schools shall receive his/her DEC from the North Carolina public high school which he/she would otherwise be attending.

That North Carolina public high school may ask for the following documentation: 

1. Proof of residency within the school's district;
2. A letter on the out-of-state school's letterhead stating that the student is "currently enrolled in this school" and that he/she is "making academic progress toward high school graduation";
3. A transcript/report card indicating the latest semester grades earned in the out-of-state school;
4. A transcript/report card at the end of each semester thereafter until the student has graduated from high school (or reaches his/her 18th birthday) - making sure the student understands that he/she will lose all North Carolina driving privileges if this is not presented at the end of each semester or is in violation of the DEC laws.

Only school chief administrators may stop by the Department of Administration to pick them up.

Once the DEC request has been received and processed, DECs may only be picked up from our office on Tuesdays and Thursdays from the hours of 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.  Chief Administrators must call our office at 984-236-0110 to make an appointment to pick up. DEC pickups cannot occur without an appointment.  Otherwise, we will mail it.

It is strongly suggested that school administrators always call at least a day ahead to make certain that a DEC can be made available for pickup on.

Under no circumstances are students permitted to pick them up.

The non-public school (both home and conventional types) must already have on file with DNPE a currently valid Notice of Intent prior to the pickup date.

No.  Conventional non-public or home schools located within the State of North Carolina wishing to have a student driver's license revoked must contact the North Carolina Division of Non-Public Education.

No.  North Carolina public schools are not permitted to share Driving Eligibility Certificates with conventional non-public schools operating within North Carolina's geographical borders, home schools, community colleges or even other public schools.

Only to students who are currently enrolled in that public school.

Public schools may not issue a DEC to a student who currently attends or is enrolled in a conventional non-public school within North Carolina, a home school, community college or an out-of-state correspondence or other distance learning program.

If the student is not making adequate progress toward high school graduation at the point of withdrawal, the conventional non-public school should have the student's driving privileges revoked (even when transferring in to a home school setting).

If the student is making adequate progress, the non-public school should not revoke that student's driving privileges -- provided it is certain that the student has indeed already been enrolled in another legal school.

A school should wait (before sending the information) for a brief reasonable time period to receive any hardship requests after notifying parents of the student's forthcoming license revocation.

It is imperative, however, that non-public schools send their revocation recommendations to DNPE immediately following the 30 day grace period post withdrawal.

Yes.  Contact the local North Carolina DMV office to find out the exact current State of North Carolina license re-instatement fee. Also, there is always a possibility that the student may incur an increase in his/her next automobile insurance premium.  

The DEC form itself is always available free from the chief administrator of the North Carolina non-public school in which the student is currently enrolled

At the end of the school year (once final grades are posted), non-public schools should send DNPE their license revocation recommendations.

At the conclusion of summer school, those students eligible may then receive a DEC from their North Carolina non-public school principal in order to have their license re-instated. 

Schools should not wait until summer school is over to turn in the names of students not making progress toward high school graduation.