How to Renew Your Alabama Driver’s License: Steps, Fees, and Star ID

To renew your Alabama driver’s license, you have three options: online at alabamadl.alea.gov, in person at an ALEA exam office or county probate office, or by mail using Form DL-100 if you qualify. The standard fee is $36.25, and you can renew as early as 180 days before your expiration date.¹² The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) runs all driver license services statewide.

When You Can Renew and How Long You Have

An Alabama license is valid for four years from the date it was issued, and the expiration date is printed on the card. You can start the renewal any time in the 180 days before that date.³

If your license does expire, state law gives you a 60-day grace period during which the license is still valid for driving inside Alabama.² Other states are not required to honor that grace period, so if you drive out of state during those 60 days, you’re relying on the other state’s rules.

After the grace period ends, you can no longer legally drive on the old license, but you can still renew without retesting for up to three years past expiration. Once you cross the three-year mark, ALEA will require you to retake the written knowledge test and the road skills test before issuing a new license.

What to Bring and What It Costs

For a standard renewal, plan to bring:

Your current Alabama license, even if it has expired
Your original Social Security card (photocopies are not accepted)
Two documents proving your principal Alabama residence, such as a utility bill less than 90 days old or a property tax receipt

ALEA requires originals across the board and will not accept photocopies or faxed documents.¹

The fee for a standard Class D renewal is $36.25, paid at the time of application.¹ Online transactions accept major credit and debit cards. Personal checks are not accepted, so if you’re renewing by mail, send a money order. Your permanent card typically arrives within 30 days. Alabama law requires you to carry a valid license whenever you drive, so hold onto the temporary receipt you receive until the card shows up.⁴

Renewing Online

Eligible residents can renew through ALEA’s portal at alabamadl.alea.gov.⁵ You verify your record, pay with a credit or debit card, and the system generates a temporary receipt that serves as a valid driving permit until the new card arrives. Print or save it right away.

Online renewal is not available for first-time Star ID applicants, since Star ID requires in-person identity verification. If your license has been expired for a long time or ALEA needs a new photo, the system may also direct you to an office.

Renewing in Person

You can walk in to any ALEA exam office, county probate office, or license commissioner’s office.⁶ Bring your documents and expect to have a new photo taken. Many offices now have self-service kiosks that handle a standard renewal in a few minutes without a counter visit.⁷

Renewing by Mail

Mail renewal is available in specific situations. You qualify if you’re temporarily out of state for military service, employment, college, missionary work, or medical reasons. In-state residents who cannot visit an office can also renew by mail, provided they’ve held an Alabama license with a photo and signature issued within the last four years.³

You’ll need Form DL-100, available on the ALEA website under driver license forms.⁸ Complete it, include payment by money order, and send it to ALEA headquarters in Montgomery.

Renewing or Upgrading to a Star ID

The Star ID is Alabama’s REAL ID–compliant credential. Beginning in 2025, you need a Star ID or another federally accepted document such as a passport to board a domestic flight or enter certain federal buildings.⁹ A standard Alabama license will not.

If you already hold a Star ID, you can renew it through any of the standard channels. Getting one for the first time is different: you must visit an ALEA exam office in person so staff can verify your identity documents face to face. Bring everything required for a standard renewal, plus proof of your legal name and date of birth, such as a certified birth certificate or a current U.S. passport. The fee is the same $36.25, so upgrading during a renewal costs nothing extra beyond the trip to the office.

Changing Your Name at Renewal

If your legal name has changed, update it with the Social Security Administration first. The license office needs to see a Social Security card in your new name, and you have to wait at least one day after the SSA processes the change before applying.¹⁰

Bring an original document proving the name change alongside the updated Social Security card. Acceptable proofs include a marriage license, a divorce decree that specifically permits resuming a former name, adoption papers, or a court order for a name change. Photocopies are not accepted. Renewing the license does not automatically change the name on your vehicle title; you handle that separately with the licensing official.

Non-U.S. Citizen Requirements

If you’re not a U.S. citizen, the standard identity documents are replaced with:

A valid foreign passport with an acceptable visa or a resident alien card
Your Social Security card, or a letter from the SSA confirming non-eligibility for a number
A secondary document showing you’re authorized to be in the U.S. for more than 30 days, such as an employment authorization document, a valid I-94 arrival/departure record, or an I-797 notice of action from the Department of Homeland Security

These requirements apply to renewals as well as new applications.¹ Non-citizen licenses may carry a shorter validity period tied to the expiration of your authorized stay, so check the dates on the card when it arrives.

Military Renewals

Active-duty service members get extra flexibility. If you’re deployed overseas, your Alabama license remains valid for the entire deployment as long as you carry a copy of your military orders. The printed expiration date does not apply while you’re serving abroad.¹¹

If you know a deployment is coming, you can renew up to one full year before expiration, double the civilian window.¹¹ Military members and their dependents stationed out of state can also renew by mail with Form DL-100, submitting a copy of military orders and a military photo ID card.³ After returning to Alabama, the ordinary 60-day grace period covers a visit to a local office if the license has since expired.²

If Your License Has Already Expired

Within the 60-day grace period, you can drive inside Alabama and renew through any of the normal channels. After that window closes but before three years pass, you can still renew without retesting, but you cannot legally drive until the renewal is processed. Past three years, ALEA treats it more like a new application, which means the written and road tests both come back into play. The retest cliff is the strongest reason not to let the file sit indefinitely: a short delay costs you nothing beyond the trip, but a long one costs you the tests.

1
Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Document Requirements And Fees
2
Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 32-6-1 – Required; Expiration Date; Renewal; Identification Cards for Nondrivers
3
Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Application for Renewal or Duplicate of Alabama Driver License or ID Card
4
Justia. Alabama Code 32-6-9 – License to Be Carried and Exhibited on Demand
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Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Driver License
6
Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 32-6-4 – Issuance of License or Identification Card; Selective Service Registration
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Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. ALEA Revolutionizes Alabama Driver License Services
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Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Driver License Forms
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Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Star ID
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Shelby County, AL. Drivers License and ID Renewals and Replacements
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Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 32-6-1.1 – Continued Validity of Drivers License for Military Personnel Deployed Outside United States; Renewal Procedures