How to Renew Your Washington Driver’s License

To renew your Washington driver’s license, use the Department of Licensing (DOL) online, by phone, by mail, or in person, and pay $61 for a six-year term or $81 for an eight-year term. Licenses expire on your birthday, and you have 60 days after that date to renew without a $10 late fee. If your license has been expired for eight years or more, you cannot renew at all and must apply as a new driver.¹²

When Your License Expires and What the Late Fee Costs

Your license expires on your birthday at the end of its six- or eight-year term. Renew within 60 days after that date and you pay nothing extra. Wait longer and the DOL adds a $10 late fee to the renewal cost.² Two exceptions push that 60-day clock back: if you were out of state when the license expired, or if you were incapacitated, the countdown starts when you return or recover.

Once a license has been expired for eight years, renewal is off the table. The DOL will treat you as a new applicant, which means a knowledge test, a driving test, and a full application.¹ A suspended or revoked license also cannot be renewed; you have to clear the underlying issue through the DOL’s reinstatement process first.³

Who Has to Renew In Person

Most drivers can renew remotely. You must visit a licensing office, though, if any of the following applies:

You are 70 or older.
You need a new photo.
You need a vision screening.
You renewed online or by phone last cycle. Washington does not allow two remote renewals in a row.

If none of those fit your situation, online, phone, or mail renewal is open to you.¹

Renewing Online

Online is the fastest option. Go to the DOL website and either sign in to your License Express account or use the renewal path that does not require logging in. Confirm your mailing address is current before you start, because your new card will go to the address on file.¹

You will confirm your personal information, pick a six- or eight-year term, and pay by card or electronic check. The DOL can waive the vision test for online and mail renewals if you certify your visual acuity is at least 20/40, corrected or uncorrected, with no other vision problems.⁴ You can print a receipt once the transaction is done; the physical card arrives separately by mail.

One thing to plan for: if you renew online now, you will have to renew in person next time.

Renewing by Phone

Call the DOL at 360-902-3900 if you are under 70 and your last renewal was in person. Have your license number and a credit or debit card ready. Phone renewal counts as a remote transaction, so your next renewal will have to be in person.¹

Renewing by Mail

You can renew by mail if the DOL sent you a renewal letter saying you are eligible, or if you are currently living out of state. For the letter path, complete the enclosed form, write a check or money order payable to the Department of Licensing, and send it to the address on the form.¹ Out-of-state mail renewal uses a different form, covered further down.

Renewing In Person

If you are required to visit an office, or just prefer to, the DOL encourages pre-applying through License Express before you go. Pre-applying lets you fill out your information ahead of time and schedule an appointment.⁵ Walk-ins are accepted, but appointments cut the wait substantially.

Bring your current license and your payment. A technician will verify your information, run a vision screening, and take a new photo. You leave with a temporary document, and your permanent card comes by mail.

Renewal Fees and Payment Methods

Standard license renewal is $10 per year: $61 for six years or $81 for eight years.¹ Enhanced Driver License renewal costs more: $103 for six years or $137 for eight years.⁶ Add $10 if you are past the 60-day grace period.

What you can pay with depends on the channel:

Online: credit or debit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express) with a 3% card fee, or checking account information with no added fee.
Phone: credit or debit card. Debit is processed as credit, so the credit card fee applies.
In person: credit or debit card at most offices, plus cash, checks, or money orders. A vendor convenience fee of $2.25 applies for debit cards and for credit transactions of $75 or less; transactions over $75 are charged 3% instead.
Mail: check or money order payable to the Department of Licensing.

⁶

What to Have Ready Before You Start

Whichever method you use, have these on hand:

Your current driver’s license number
Your Social Security Number
Your current mailing address, updated with the DOL first if it has changed

If you are upgrading to an Enhanced Driver License, you will also need documents proving your identity, U.S. citizenship, and Washington residency, such as a U.S. passport or birth certificate for citizenship and utility bills or bank statements for residency.⁷

Should You Switch to an Enhanced Driver License?

Washington’s standard license is not REAL ID-compliant. Since May 7, 2025, you cannot use it to board a domestic flight or enter certain federal facilities; standard cards have carried a “Federal Limits Apply” marking since 2018.⁸ With a standard license, you will need a U.S. passport or another federally accepted ID to fly.

The Enhanced Driver License (EDL) is Washington’s REAL ID-compliant option. It confirms both your identity and U.S. citizenship, and it works for domestic flights, land and sea crossings to Canada and Mexico, and entry to federal buildings.⁷ An EDL requires an in-person visit; online renewal is not available. Only U.S. citizens are eligible, so green cards and work visas do not qualify.

Renewing From Out of State

If you live outside Washington and do not plan to return within a year after your license expires, you can renew by mail for six or eight years. Complete a Driver License Renewal/Replacement Request While Out-of-State form and send it with a check or money order to:

Department of Licensing
PO Box 9048
Olympia, WA 98507-9048

There is a trade-off. A license renewed by mail from out of state will not include a photo, and it is valid only for driving, not as identification. You can add the photo and signature back by visiting a licensing office once you are back in Washington.⁹

Commercial Driver License holders cannot renew a CDL by mail. You can surrender the CDL and renew your standard license instead by submitting a Commercial Driver’s Notice of Surrender form with the renewal. After you return to Washington, you have two years to reinstate the CDL without retaking training or tests.

Active-Duty Military Exception

If you are on active duty, you do not need to renew while serving. This covers National Guard members and reservists called to active duty for 180 days or more, along with spouses, domestic partners, and dependents at the same address. Your license stays valid through your entire term of service and for 90 days after discharge, no matter what the printed expiration date says.¹⁰

Carry your military ID and the DOL authorization card to prove the license is still valid. Spouses and dependents carry a Military Dependent ID along with the DOL authorization card. When you are back in Washington, make an appointment to get a new card with a current expiration date.

After You Renew: Getting Your Card

Your permanent card arrives at your address on file within 7 to 10 business days. If it has not shown up after 30 days, call the DOL at 360-902-3900 (TTY: 711).¹¹ The DOL does not have an online tool to track card mailing, so a phone call is the only way to check.

If you renewed in person, you walk out with a temporary document that covers you in the meantime. If you renewed online or by phone, print the receipt and keep your expired card with it; together they show law enforcement that your driving privileges are current.

What Happens If You Drive on an Expired License

Driving with an expired Washington license is a traffic infraction, not a criminal offense, as long as you can show the officer your expired license or other valid ID at the stop. The base penalty is $250. If you go to court or mail in proof that you obtained a valid license after the citation, the penalty drops to $50.¹² The reduced fine is a strong reason to renew quickly if you get a ticket, but renewing before your birthday avoids the whole problem.

1
Washington State Department of Licensing. Renew Driver License
2
Washington State Legislature. Washington Code RCW 46.20.181 – Expiration Date, Renewal, Fees, Penalty
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Washington State Department of Licensing. Suspended License
4
Washington State Legislature. WAC 308-104-010
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Washington State Department of Licensing. Pre-Apply Online
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Washington State Department of Licensing. Driver Licensing Fees
7
Washington State Department of Licensing. Guide to Enhanced Driver Licenses (EDL)
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Washington State Department of Licensing. REAL ID
9
Washington State Department of Licensing. Renew or Extend Your Driver License While Out of State
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Washington State Department of Licensing. Driver License Designations for Military Personnel and Veterans
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Washington State Department of Licensing. Moving to Washington: Get a Driver License
12
Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 46.20.015 – Driving Without a License, Traffic Infraction, When