Driver’s License or ID Card Renewal

It’s important to renew driver’s licenses (DLs), identification (ID) cards, and provisional instruction permits before they expire. The expiration date is noted on the card.

Get your driver’s license and identification card renewal notices electronically. Log in to or create a DMV account to sign up today.

If you already have a California DL, you can renew it in person at a DMV office, by mail, or online.

It is illegal to drive with an expired DL and you can be cited. There are no late fees to renew a DL that has already expired.

Renew your DL online

You may be able to renew your DL online if you:

• Do not need to change your address or personal description.
• Are not applying for a REAL ID compliant DL or ID for the first time.
• Are not renewing a commercial DL.

If eligible, you can also register to vote when you renew online.

Renew your DL at a DMV Kiosk

DMV Kiosk is available inside select DMV office and retail locations during regular business hours. Find a kiosk near you. To renew your DL at a Kiosk, you must provide your full name, address on DMV records, birth date, and driver’s license or identification (ID) card number.

Renew your DL by mail

You may be eligible to renew your DL by mail if you can answer no to all of these questions:

• Does your DL expire more than 120 days from today’s date?
• Are you currently on any type of driving probation or suspension?
• Did you violate a written promise to appear in court within the last two years?
• Have you already received two consecutive five-year extensions by mail/internet?
• Do you have a DL from more than one state or jurisdiction?
• Are you applying for a REAL ID compliant DL/ID card for the first time?
• Are you applying to renew a commercial DL?

If you qualify and haven’t received your renewal notice by mail, complete a California Driver License Renewal By Mail Eligibility Information (DL 410 FO) form.

Mail your form (along with a check for the renewal fee) to:

Department of Motor Vehicles
ATTN: Renewal By Mail Unit
PO Box 942890
Sacramento, CA 94290-0001

If eligible, you can also register to vote when you renew by mail.

Renew your DL in person

If you received a notice to renew your DL in person:

• Complete a DL or ID card applicationor bring in the DMV renewal notice mailed to you (cross out any old information and write in the current information).
• Have your thumbprint scanned.
• Pass a vision exam.
• Have your photo taken.
• Pay the nonrefundable application fee (application and fee valid for 12 months).
• Pass the knowledge test(s) (if required). Your renewal notice will indicate if you need to take a knowledge test. You are allowed three attempts to pass each of the required knowledge tests. If you fail the same test three times, your application is no longer valid and you need to reapply. To allow for sufficient testing time, we don’t administer knowledge tests within 30 minutes of closing.
• If you apply for a REAL ID in person, you must also provide proof of your identity and residency from the list of acceptable REAL ID documents.

After you complete these requirements, DMV will issue you a temporary DL until you receive your new license in the mail. The temporary license is valid for 60 days. You will receive your new DL in the mail within three to four weeks. If you have not received your DL card after 60 days, visit Driver’s License & ID Card Status.

If you already have a California REAL ID driver’s license, you can renew it in person at a DMV office, by mail, or online.

It is illegal to drive with an expired REAL ID DL and you can be cited. There are no late fees to renew a DL that has already expired.

Renew your REAL ID DL online

You may be able to renew your REAL ID DL online if you:

• Do not need to change your address or personal description.
• Are not renewing a commercial DL.

If you are a commercial driver and your CDL has been expired for over two years, you’ll need to take a skills test for the type of commercial motor vehicle you will be driving to renew your license. To better prepare yourself for the skills test, visit the California Commercial Driver’s Handbook.

To renew your CDL in person:

• Complete a CDL Applicationor bring in the DMV renewal notice mailed to you (cross out any old information and write in the current information).
• Visit a DMV office, where you will:
  • Provide residency document on every renewal.
  • Provide BD/LP documents if renewing for the first time since May 10, 2017.
  • Submit a completed 10 Year History Record Check (DL 939) (if you’ve been issued a DL of any kind in another state or jurisdiction in the last 10 years).
  • Have your thumbprint scanned.
  • Pass a vision exam.
  • Have your photo taken.
  • Pay the nonrefundable application fee (application and fee valid for 12 months).
  • Take the knowledge test(s) (if required). Your renewal notice will indicate if you need to take a knowledge test. You are allowed three attempts to pass each of the required knowledge tests. If you fail the same test three times, your application is no longer valid and you will need to reapply. To allow for sufficient testing time, we do not administer knowledge tests within 30 minutes of closing.
  • When you apply for a REAL ID in person, you must also provide proof of your identity and residency from the list of acceptable REAL ID documents

  After you complete these requirements, we will issue you a temporary DL until you receive your new license in the mail. The temporary license is valid for 60 days. You will receive your DL via mail within within three to four weeks. If you have not received your DL card after 60 days, visit Driver’s License & ID Card Status.

  Renew Your Provisional Instruction Permit plus minus

  Your California DL Application and fee is valid for 12 months after you complete the online application. You need to hold your provisional instruction permit for at least six months before you can get your DL. In some cases, it’s possible that your application and fee will expire before you have had your instruction permit for the required six months (for example, if you complete the online application, but wait over six months to go to a DMV office to get your instruction permit).

  If your application and fee will expire before you have held your provisional instruction permit for the required six months, you will need to reapply and pay a new application fee.

  You will get cumulative credit for the time you held your provisional instruction permit that counts towards your six-month requirement. You must keep the expired permit with your new learner permit until you pass your driving test. Make sure to bring both your expired and valid instruction permits when you take your driving test to show proof of credit.

  To renew your instruction permit:

  • Complete a new California DL/ID Card Application.
  • Visit a DMV office, where you will:
    • Verify your identity with an acceptable identity document. Your current name needs to match the name on the identity document.
    • Present acceptable residency documents (if you’ve never had a California DL/ID card).
    • Pay the nonrefundable application fee. (Application and fee valid for 12 months.)
    • Have your thumbprint scanned.
    • Pass a vision exam.
    • Have your photo taken.
    • Take the knowledge test(s). You are allowed three attempts to pass each of the required knowledge tests. If you fail the same test three times, your application is no longer valid and you will need to reapply. To allow for sufficient testing time, we don’t administer knowledge tests within 30 minutes of closing.
    • Submit the proper driver training school certificate(s) to verify you took driver education and/or driver training classes.
    Renewal for Seniors Age 70+ plus minus

    For seniors aged 70+ years, most of the renewal process can be done online, like starting the application and taking the required eLearning course.

    Renew Your ID Card plus minus

    We issue three types of ID cards.

    • REAL ID : As of the new May 7, 2025 deadline, you will need a federal compliant ID (such as a passport, military ID, or REAL ID) to board a domestic flight or enter secure federal facilities, like military bases, federal courthouses, and other federal buildings.
    • Regular ID card: Valid for six birthdates from the application date.
    • Senior citizen ID card: Valid for eight birthdates from the application date (must be at least 62-years-old).

    Renew your ID online

    You may be able to renew your ID online if you:

    • Do not need to change your address or personal description.
    • Are not applying for a REAL ID compliant DL or ID for the first time.

    If eligible, you can also register to vote when you renew online.

    To renew your ID card by mail:

    You must be able to answer ‘NO’ to all of the following questions:

    • Have your last two ID cards been renewed by mail/internet?
    • Has your ID been expired for more than one year?
    • Are you changing or correcting your name?

    If you are eligible, complete a California Identification Card Renewal by Mail Eligibility (DL 410 ID) form and mail it (along with the appropriate renewal fee) to:

    DMV, Attn: Renewal by Mail Unit
    PO Box 942890
    Sacramento, CA 94290-0001

    Please write your ID card number on the back of your payment document.

    Renew your ID at a DMV Kiosk

    DMV Kiosk is available inside select DMV office and retail locations during regular business hours. Find a kiosk near you. To renew your ID at a Kiosk, you must provide your full name, address on DMV records, birth date, and driver’s license or identification (ID) card number.

    To renew an ID card in person:

    If you received a notice to renew your ID in person

    • Complete a DL or ID Card application.
    • Visit a DMV office, where you will:
      • Pay the application fee (no fee for senior citizen ID cards)
      • Have your thumbprint scanned
      • Have your photo taken

      You will receive your new ID card in the mail within three to four weeks. If you haven’t received your new ID card after 60 days, visit Driver’s License & ID Card Status.

      Renew Your Limited Term DL/ID Card plus minus

      When it comes time to renew a limited term DL/ID card for someone with legal presence, DMV will send a renewal notice to the address on file for you. The notice will request an updated Department of Homeland Security (DHS) extension information/document. Send your completed renewal notice to DMV headquarters for processing at:

      Department of Motor Vehicles
      PO BOX 942890, MS G204
      Sacramento, CA 94290-0001

      The name on my identity document isn’t my current name. How do I change it?

      Your current true full name (first, middle, last) needs to appear on your identity document. If you need to make a name change, learn how you can update info on your DL/ID card.

      Frequently Asked Questions

      I ordered my DL/ID card but haven’t received it. What do I do? plus minus

      If you renewed your DL/ID card and have not received it after 60 days, visit Driver’s License & ID Card Status.

      When should I expect to receive my notice to renew my DL? plus minus

      We send a courtesy notice to your address about 4 months before your DL expires. If you do not receive a notice, submit a California Driver License Renewal by Mail Eligibility Information (DL 410) form to review your ability to renew by mail.

      How often does my DL expire? plus minus

      Every original DL expires on the applicant’s 5th birthday following the application date. However, if the applicant’s identity document expires less than 5 years from the application date, the DL will be considered a “limited term” DL and the expiration date will match the expiration date of the identity document. California Vehicle Code (CVC) Section 12816(a)

      Can I change my information when I renew my DL/ID card online? plus minus

      No. For security purposes, no changes can be made to your address, date of birth, physical description, or class of license.

      If you have a change of address, enter your current address on your renewal notice and renew your DL by mail.

      Should temporary conditions, such as a broken bone or being pregnant, be reported? plus minus

      Temporary conditions do not need to be reported. However, you should not drive until it is safe to do so.

      Do I need to report Lasik or similar vision surgery? plus minus

      Our vision screening standard is at least 20/40 when both eyes are tested together, and at least 20/70 in the weaker eye. If you recently had surgery to correct one eye for distance and the other for close-up vision, you may not meet the screening standard and must renew your DL in person at a DMV office.

      I have a disability. Do I need to report this to DMV? plus minus

      If you have recently become disabled and the condition affects your ability to drive safely, you must renew your DL in-person. You may be required to take a behind-the-wheel driving test to demonstrate that you can compensate for the disability. Disabilities that cannot get worse over time (e.g. loss of limb or loss of an eye) and don’t prevent you from driving safely do not have to be reported (as long as the condition was previously reported to DMV).