How to Renew Your Alabama Driver’s License Online

You can renew your Alabama driver’s license online through the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) portal if you hold a standard Class D license, your last renewal was in person, and nothing about your name or address has changed. The fee is $36.25 plus a $2.75 transaction fee, with a 4% card convenience charge bringing the total to about $40.50.¹ The whole process takes about ten minutes, and you can print a temporary license the moment you finish paying.

Who Qualifies to Renew Online

Online renewal is limited to standard Class D licenses. Commercial driver’s licenses and learner permits aren’t eligible.² Beyond that, every one of these has to be true:

Your license is current, or you’re within Alabama’s 60-day grace period after expiration. Suspended and revoked licenses don’t qualify.
Your most recent license was issued in person. ALEA needs a current photo and signature on file, so if you renewed online or by mail last time, you have to visit an office this cycle. Because Alabama licenses last four years, this effectively caps online renewal at every other cycle.³
Your legal name and mailing address are unchanged since your last license was issued.
You have no restrictions requiring re-examination. Restriction D, for example, disqualifies you because ALEA has to verify your driving ability in person.

Foreign nationals face extra steps. ALEA verifies status through the federal SAVE system and requires copies of authorized presence documents, so if your current license carries a foreign national (FN) designation, contact ALEA before attempting the online portal.³

What to Have Ready

Gather everything before you open the portal so a slow lookup doesn’t cost you a session:

Your current Alabama driver’s license (you’ll enter the number and expiration date).
Your full legal name, date of birth, and the last four digits of your Social Security number.
A credit or debit card. ALEA accepts Visa, MasterCard, and Discover.¹
A working email address for your confirmation and receipt.
Access to a printer for the temporary license that appears after payment.

Decide in advance whether you want to update your organ donor status; the portal may offer that option during renewal. Adding a veteran designation is not available online. That takes an in-person visit with a DD-214 or equivalent discharge document showing honorable or general under honorable conditions.²

Step by Step Through the ALEA Portal

Start at ALEA’s online driver services page, reached through alea.gov.⁴ Use the official site. ALEA has publicly warned about third-party websites that mimic the state portal and charge inflated fees on top of what ALEA actually collects.⁵

Select the renewal option and enter your license type, full name, driver’s license number, date of birth, and the last four digits of your Social Security number. The system pulls up your record and asks you to confirm your address and personal details. If anything is different, the portal will flag it and route you to renew in person instead.

Once you’ve confirmed, you’ll move to payment. The $36.25 license fee is joined by a $2.75 online transaction fee,⁵ and a 4% card convenience charge is applied to the total, landing at roughly $40.50 when you pay by card.¹ After payment processes, a confirmation screen gives you the option to print your temporary license.

Your Temporary License and the Card in the Mail

Print the temporary license immediately. It’s valid for 30 days and serves as your legal proof of driving privileges while you wait for the permanent card. Keep it with you when you drive.

Your new physical license goes to the address ALEA has on file. Most cards arrive within a few weeks, though processing and mail times vary. If 30 days pass without a card, contact ALEA rather than continuing to drive on the expired temporary.

Star ID: Why Online Renewal May Not Be What You Want

Alabama’s REAL ID-compliant license is called the Star ID, and you cannot obtain one through online renewal. A Star ID has to be issued originally at an ALEA driver license examining office, where you present identity and residency documents in person.⁶

Federal REAL ID enforcement took effect on May 7, 2025. Every air traveler 18 or older now needs a REAL ID-compliant license, a valid passport, or another federally accepted ID to board a domestic flight.⁷ If you don’t already carry a Star ID and you plan to fly, renewing online will leave you with a standard license that won’t get you through airport security. Skip the online portal in that case and visit an ALEA office to renew and upgrade in a single trip.

If you already have a Star ID, county license offices handle Star ID renewals and duplicates, and the designation can carry through your standard renewal.⁶

When You Have to Go In Person

Any of these means the portal isn’t an option:

Your last renewal was online or by mail. ALEA needs a fresh photo and signature this cycle.
Your legal name has changed and needs updated documentation on file.
You’ve moved and the address ALEA has doesn’t match your current one.
You need a Star ID for the first time.⁶
You want to add a veteran designation and can bring a DD-214, NGB Form 22, or military ID.²
Your license is suspended or revoked. Reinstatement takes an in-person visit and possibly additional paperwork and fees.
You hold a CDL or a restriction that requires re-examination.

Renewal Window, Grace Period, and the Three-Year Cliff

You can renew as early as 180 days before your expiration date, giving you a six-month window.⁸ Active-duty military members deployed during that window are exempt from the 180-day limit if they can show proof of deployment.

Miss the expiration date and Alabama gives you a 60-day grace period during which your license remains valid for driving. After those 60 days, the license is expired. You can still renew without retesting, but you’re technically driving without a valid license until you do.

The hard limit is three years. If you let your license lapse for more than three years past expiration, ALEA will require you to retake both the written exam and the driving test.⁸ Each renewal extends your license for four years from the previous expiration date regardless of when you actually complete it, so there’s no benefit to waiting and no reason to risk the cliff.

1
Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. License and ID Cards – Document Requirements and Fees
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Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Driver License Information
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Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Application for Renewal or Duplicate of Alabama Driver License or ID Card
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Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Online Services
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Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. ALEA Alerts Customers Concerning Third-Party Website Upcharging Driver License Renewals
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Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Star ID
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Transportation Security Administration. TSA Reminds Public of REAL ID Enforcement Deadline of May 7, 2025
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Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 32-6-1 – Required; Expiration Date; Renewal