How to Fill Out the North Carolina Tinted Window Waiver Application (MVR-93)

The North Carolina tinted window waiver application, Form MVR-93, is a one-page form that lets you ask the Division of Motor Vehicles for a medical exception to the state’s window tint rules. North Carolina normally requires front side windows to transmit at least 35% of visible light, but if a medical condition makes you sensitive to sunlight, your doctor can certify that darker tint is necessary and the DMV can issue a permit. You complete the applicant and vehicle sections, your physician completes the medical certification, and you mail the signed original to the NCDMV Medical Review Unit in Raleigh.

Who Can Apply

North Carolina General Statute 20-127(f) limits the medical exception to people whose condition causes photosensitivity to visible light. The statute doesn’t name specific diagnoses. Your doctor decides whether your condition fits; the DMV reviews the paperwork, not the medicine. The statute refers simply to “his or her doctor,” so any licensed physician can sign the form, whether that’s your primary care provider, a dermatologist, or an ophthalmologist.¹

Filling Out the Form

Download the MVR-93 from the NCDOT website.² Each permit covers one vehicle, so if you need the exception on more than one car, use a separate form for each.

Applicant and Vehicle Sections

Enter your full legal name, current residential address, and North Carolina driver’s license number. The name on the form should match your license exactly. Any mismatch slows processing.

For the vehicle, you’ll list the model year, make, body style, 17-character VIN (printed on the dashboard near the windshield and on your registration card), and current license plate number. The permit is tied to that specific vehicle. Sell the car and the permit goes with it — you’ll need a new MVR-93 for a replacement.

Physician Certification

Your doctor completes the medical section with their full name, office address, professional license number, and the diagnosis that makes darker tint medically necessary. The signature has to be an original. A photocopied signature will come back to you. Legibility matters too; type the entries or ask the office to print clearly, because an unreadable field is an easy rejection.

Where to Send It

Mail the signed form to the Medical Review Unit:³

NC Division of Motor Vehicles
Medical Review Unit
3112 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27696-3112

There’s no online submission option for the MVR-93. Use certified or tracked mail so you have proof of delivery. None of the DMV materials for this form confirm an application fee, so no payment appears to be required with the mailing.

What You Receive After Approval

Approval comes with two items: a permit and a sticker. The permit is a document that specifies which vehicle is covered, which windows may be tinted, and how dark the tint may be. It must stay inside the vehicle whenever it’s driven on a public road.¹

The sticker goes on the lower left-hand corner of the rear window, between the glass and the tint film. It needs to be installed before the tint, not placed on top of it.¹ Wait until the permit and sticker arrive before you have darker tint installed. Driving with non-compliant tint while the application is pending is still a violation.

How Long the Permit Lasts

A medical exception permit is valid for five years from the date of issue, unless the Drivers Medical Evaluation Program sets a shorter period based on your condition.¹ Renewal requires a fresh medical certification; the DMV won’t extend the old permit on its own, so start the renewal process a few months before expiration to avoid a gap.

You can hold up to four active permits at one time, each on its own vehicle and each requiring its own MVR-93.¹ Permits don’t transfer to a new owner if you sell the car.

Penalties If You Get It Wrong

If you have a valid permit but the required sticker isn’t displayed, that’s an infraction with a flat $200 fine. Driving with illegal tint and no medical exception at all is a Class 3 misdemeanor, which goes on your criminal record.¹ Keeping the permit inside the vehicle and the sticker visible is what keeps a routine traffic stop from turning into a charge.

Common Reasons Applications Get Rejected

The physician section is missing an original signature or shows only a photocopied one.
The VIN is transposed or incomplete, so the permit won’t match the car at inspection.
The applicant’s name doesn’t match the North Carolina driver’s license on file.
Entries in the medical section are illegible.
Tint was already installed before the permit arrived, so the sticker can’t go behind the film the way the statute requires.

1
North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina Code Chapter 20 – GS 20-127
2
North Carolina Department of Transportation. MVR-93 North Carolina Tinted Window Waiver Application
3
North Carolina Department of Transportation. Medical Review Program