How Long Do You Have to Renew Your License in Alabama?

In Alabama, you have a wide window to renew your driver’s license: you can start 180 days before it expires and still renew without retesting for up to three years after the expiration date. A 60-day grace period after expiration keeps the license legally valid for driving, and if you wait longer than three years, you’ll have to pass both the written and road tests again before the state will issue a new one.¹

The Renewal Window and Grace Period

Alabama licenses run on a four-year cycle after your first one, and they expire on your birthday.¹ You can walk into a renewal office as early as 180 days before that date. Renewing early doesn’t shorten your next cycle: the new four-year period runs from the old expiration date, not from the day you renew. That also means you don’t lose time if you renew a little after your birthday.

Once your license expires, state law gives you 60 days during which it remains legally valid for both driving and renewal.¹ A traffic stop inside that window won’t produce a citation for driving on an expired license. ALEA also sends a renewal reminder 30 days after the expiration date if you still haven’t renewed.

Renewing Between 60 Days and Three Years Late

After the 60-day grace period runs out, the license is no longer valid for driving, but you can still renew it without retesting for up to three years past the expiration date.¹ The catch is that you cannot legally drive during that stretch until you renew.

Getting caught driving on a license that’s been expired beyond 60 days is a misdemeanor. The fine runs from $10 to $100, plus a mandatory $50 surcharge that goes to the Traffic Safety Trust Fund.² The dollar amount is modest. The misdemeanor on your record is the real cost.

If you’re in this window, plan to renew in person or by mail rather than driving yourself to the office on an invalid license.

Waiting More Than Three Years

Once three years pass from your expiration date, Alabama treats you like a new applicant. You’ll need to pass the written knowledge exam and the behind-the-wheel driving test again before the state will issue a license.¹ The road test has to be scheduled at an ALEA examining office, and wait times vary by county. What would have been a quick renewal turns into a process that can stretch across weeks.

How to Renew Within the Window

Alabama offers three ways to renew: online, in person, or by mail. The renewal fee is $36.25.³

Online

Online renewal through the ALEA portal is the fastest option, but you can only use it once every eight years.³ If you renewed online last time, you have to go in person this cycle. You’ll need a credit card and a printer to produce your 30-day temporary license while the permanent card is mailed. A printed temporary license is not accepted as ID at TSA airport checkpoints, so if you’re flying soon, either bring a passport or renew in person early enough for the permanent card to arrive.⁴

In Person

You can renew at any county license commissioner’s or probate office in Alabama, regardless of where you live. Bring your current license and be ready to pay the $36.25 fee.³ Payment methods vary by office, so check ahead. You’ll walk out with a 30-day temporary license, and the permanent card comes in the mail.

For a standard in-person renewal, you’ll need two forms of identification (at least one with a photo), proof of your Social Security number, and two proofs of your current Alabama address. Acceptable Social Security proof includes the card itself, a W-2 from the current or prior year, a DD-214, or a Medicare card with a number ending in “A.” For address, utility bills under 90 days old, a voter registration card, vehicle registration, a current lease, or property tax receipts all work. If a utility bill is in a spouse’s or parent’s name, bring a marriage certificate or birth certificate to link it to you.⁵

By Mail

Mail renewal is available if you’re temporarily out of Alabama at renewal time, including active-duty military, military dependents, and college students attending school in another state.³ Send the $36.25 fee by cashier’s check or money order payable to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, along with your full name, date of birth, license number, and out-of-state address, to:

Driver’s License Division
P.O. Box 1471
Montgomery, AL 36102-1471

Your renewed license keeps the same photo and signature from your previous card.

A Note on REAL ID

Since May 7, 2025, a standard Alabama license is no longer accepted for domestic flights or entry to federal buildings. You need Alabama’s REAL ID-compliant license, called the STAR ID, or another federally accepted document such as a U.S. passport or military ID.⁶ Renewal is a natural time to add the STAR ID designation. It’s handled at ALEA examining offices and requires additional documentation beyond a standard renewal.⁷

Extensions for Military Members

Active-duty service members stationed or deployed outside the United States get two accommodations that override the normal timeline. Their expired license stays legally valid as long as they carry a copy of their current military orders, and this covers both the Armed Forces and the National Guard.⁸

Service members with deployment orders can also renew up to one year before their license expires, bypassing the 180-day rule that applies to everyone else. You have to show the licensing official proof of the upcoming deployment.⁸ Dependents stationed outside Alabama can renew by mail through the process above.¹

1
Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 32-6-1 – Required; Expiration Date; Renewal
2
Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 32-6-18 – Penalties
3
Madison County, AL. Driver’s License Information
4
Transportation Security Administration. Acceptable Identification at the TSA Checkpoint
5
Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Document Requirements and Fees
6
Transportation Security Administration. REAL ID
7
Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. STAR ID Document List
8
Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 32-6-1.1 – Continued Validity of Drivers License for Military Personnel