Faqs on driver licenses during coronavirus outbreak


For instance, California law enforcement officers are being told to “exercise discretion” for 60 days (starting March 16) in enforcing driver's license and vehicle registration

expirations (though most of these renewals can be handled online). And Californians 70 and older with a driver’s license that expires between March 1 and May 31 will receive a 120-day

extension — a paper license — in the mail during the outbreak.  Michigan is asking the same of law enforcement while its DMV offices are closed and residents make efforts to avoid public

areas. CAN I RENEW MY LICENSE ONLINE? Yes. Many states are encouraging citizens to go online to renew their licenses, and they make it fairly easy to do so. Among them are Idaho, North

Carolina, West Virginia, New Mexico and Massachusetts. Note that, according to federal regulations, it's not possible to get your Real ID without an in-person visit. (See more on that

below.) WHAT IF I'M OVER A CERTAIN AGE AND MY STATE HAS SPECIAL RENEWAL RULES FOR OLDER DRIVERS? Some states have special rules for older drivers (requiring in-person eye exams, for

instance). But you are unlikely to be required to make an in-person visit during this coronavirus emergency, thanks to expiration extensions and other coronavirus-related allowances. In

Virginia, driver's licenses and identification cards set to expire between March 15 and May 15 have been extended 60 days from the original date of expiration — including for drivers 75

and older, who are typically required to make an in-person visit to renew. Every eight years, age 50-plus residents in Oregon must pass a vision test administered at any driver's

license office. But the state is asking law enforcement to use discretion in enforcing the law when someone presents recently expired documents. (Most of Oregon's 60 DMV field offices

are closed.) In Arizona, people 65 and older need in-person renewals and vision tests every five years. But the state is extending by six months the expiration date for all Arizona

driver's licenses and driving permits that expire between March 1 and Sept. 1. WHAT ABOUT GETTING MY REQUIRED REAL ID? Federal officials are delaying the previously set Oct. 1, 2020,

deadline for Real ID, one of the accepted forms of ID that travelers will need to use in place of a regular driver's license to get through airport security when enforcement begins. The

new deadline is Oct. 1, 2021. State lawmakers have lobbied to delay enforcement, because many drivers have yet to apply for their new cards and DMVs across the country are closing or

offering limited services during the outbreak. For a Real ID card, people need to apply in person and show documents that prove their age and identity, Social Security number and address.

That generally means bringing a birth certificate or passport, a Social Security card or a tax form such as a W-2, and two proofs of address. Those who have changed their name through

marriage may need to present a marriage certificate. _Editor's note: This story was originally published on March 26, 2020. It's been updated to reflect the new REAL ID deadline._