Your guide to getting a Real ID in Tennessee

⏰ Go early: Lines typically get longer as the day goes on. Check to see when your location of choice opens and be at the door first thing like it's Black Friday.

🚗 Take the scenic route: Count on bigger crowds in Davidson County. If you can, travel into the suburbs for a shorter wait.

• Rebecca J. says the centers in Columbia and Dickson are "quick and easy peasy." Other recommendations included Gallatin, Hendersonville and Lebanon.
• Nate had a smooth experience in Ashland City.

🗓️ Make an appointment: It might be a while before you can schedule one in bigger cities, but it's worth it.

• Why? "You will not have to wait in a line then," Melanie D. says.
• Jen C. recommends avoiding Wednesdays, when service centers seem to be especially busy: "It's chaos!"

📑 Double-check your documents: Almost everyone who reached out recommended taking extra care to bring the right documentation: one that proves you're in the U.S. legally, another that confirms your Social Security number and two that establish your current address.

• Information on the documents you can use is available online.

• You can get your documents pre-approved online, but that could take a while.

🏙️ Head downtown: Multiple readers said their favorite option was hiding in plain sight: The driver services center on the third floor of the William R. Snodgrass Tennessee Tower.

• Kevin C. says it's easiest mid-morning or mid-afternoon on Mondays or Fridays.
• "I was a Real ID walk-in with no appointment and it took about an hour."

😊 Remember your manners: Our favorite piece of advice should be the easiest to remember.

• "Show up a little early before your appointment and be very nice to those folks," Melanie D. says. "They aren't treated well."