How to Fill Out and Submit Pennsylvania Form DL-54B: Sections, Fees, and Mailing

Pennsylvania Form DL-54B is the mail-in application for replacing, renewing, changing, or correcting a Pennsylvania Photo Identification Card. It is not the form for a driver’s license or learner’s permit; those use the DL-80 (or DL-80CD for commercial holders), and sending the wrong one means it comes back and you start over.¹

Figure Out Which of the Four Situations You’re In

The reason you’re filing decides which boxes you check, whether you need a notary, and what you pay.

Replacement (duplicate). Your card was lost, stolen, never received, or damaged. Check the matching box in Section B and have the form notarized.
Renewal. Your photo ID expires within six months and PennDOT’s computer-generated renewal notice didn’t reach you. No notary required. You can also renew online or at a driver license center instead of mailing the form.²
Change. Updating an address, or adding a veterans designation. No notary and no fee when PennDOT issues an update card rather than a new physical ID.
Correction. Fixing an error PennDOT has on file for date of birth, eye color, height, or similar details. Same deal: no notary, no fee for an update card.

Two things that look like simple changes but aren’t: adding or removing an organ donor designation requires notarization and the replacement fee, and a gender designation change requires a separate DL-32 form submitted in person with the DL-54B.

Section A: What Everyone Fills Out

Section A is required on every DL-54B regardless of why you’re filing. The form says plainly, “You must complete all parts of Section A.”³ You’ll enter:

Full legal name, including suffix.
Date of birth.
Social Security number.
The ID number from your current Pennsylvania photo card.
Your street address. A P.O. Box can appear alongside it but cannot stand alone.
City, state, ZIP.
Telephone number. Email is optional.

PennDOT generally will not mail a photo ID to an out-of-state address. The exception is federal or state government employees, active military members, and their families stationed outside Pennsylvania.³

Section B: The Reason Box

If you’re replacing the card, check the box that matches your situation: lost, stolen, never received, mutilated, change, correction, or other. PennDOT routes the application internally based on this box, so pick accurately. Renewals skip Section B.

Section C: What You’re Changing or Correcting

Use Section C to spell out what needs updating — date of birth, eye color, height, or other details, including adding or removing an organ donor designation.³ Remember that the organ donor change triggers both the notary requirement and the replacement fee, even though most changes carry neither.

Sections D, E, and F: Consent, Signature, Notary

Section D is only for applicants under 18 who want an organ donor designation; a parent, guardian, or spouse at least 18 years old signs to give or withhold consent. Adults skip it.

Section E is the signature line everyone uses. Your signature certifies the information is accurate. This is also where you can make two voluntary contributions: $3.00 to the Organ Donation Awareness Trust Fund and $5.00 to the Veterans’ Trust Fund. Veterans who want the veterans designation added to the card certify eligibility here.³

Section F is the notary block, and it only applies to replacement requests and to adding or removing an organ donor designation. Sign the form in front of the notary, not before you walk in; the notary has to witness the signature and administer the oath. Renewals, address changes, and ordinary corrections do not require notarization.

What It Costs

Replacement photo ID with a new photo: $42.50.
Replacement camera card only, when no new photo is needed: $5.00.
Renewal: $44.50.
Change or correction that produces an update card: no fee.

Add any voluntary trust fund contributions to the total.³ Make the check or money order payable to “PennDOT.” The form does not list credit card payment as an option for mail-in submissions.

Where to Mail It

Send the completed, signed, and (if applicable) notarized form with your payment to:

Bureau of Driver Licensing
P.O. Box 68272
Harrisburg, PA 17106-8272⁴

Mail the original. If your situation requires notarization, confirm the stamp and signature are on the sheet you’re sending. Incomplete forms get returned, which adds weeks, so check that every required field is filled before the envelope goes out.

What Arrives in the Mail

For a no-fee change or correction, PennDOT sends an update card you carry alongside your existing photo ID. For replacements and renewals, PennDOT mails a camera card, which should arrive within seven to ten business days after the form is processed.² That clock starts at processing, not at mailing, so build in delivery time on both ends.

If PennDOT already has your photo and signature on file, the camera card itself may serve as the updated ID. If a new photo is needed, the camera card tells you to visit a driver license center or photo center for the picture, after which the final card is produced and mailed.

When You Can’t Use the Mail

Some transactions require an in-person visit to a driver license center no matter what:

Name changes from marriage, divorce, or court order. Bring the original marriage certificate, court order, or birth certificate with a raised seal, depending on the reason.⁵
Corrections that need supporting documents, such as a date of birth fix (birth certificate) or a Social Security number fix (Social Security card).³
Gender designation changes, which require the DL-54B and a DL-32 submitted together in person.

Non-U.S. citizens changing a name must present the most recently issued Department of Homeland Security immigration documents reflecting the new name; passports, visas, and marriage certificates alone do not satisfy the requirement.⁵

1
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Replace a Driver’s License
2
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Renew a Photo ID
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Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Photo Identification Card DL-54B
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Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Replace a Photo ID
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Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Change a Driver’s License or Photo ID Name or Address