Indiana Driver’s License Expiration Date and Renewal

An Indiana driver’s license renewal costs $7 to $17.50 depending on your age and can be done online, by mail, or at a BMV branch. Most drivers under 75 renew every six years; drivers 75 to 84 renew every three years; drivers 85 and older renew every two years. There is no grace period. If you renew after your expiration date, the BMV adds a $6 administrative penalty on top of the standard fee.¹

When Your License Expires

Your expiration date is printed on the front of your license and is tied to your age:

74 and under: six years
75 to 84: three years
85 and older: two years

The BMV usually mails a renewal notice, but a missing notice is not a legal excuse. Your license becomes invalid the day after it expires, and driving on it from that day forward is a traffic violation.¹

Which Renewal Method You Can Use

Online renewal is the fastest option, but it comes with the tightest conditions. You qualify only if all of these are true: you are under 75, your license has not been expired for more than 180 days, you are within 24 months of your renewal date, your previous renewal was completed at a branch, you have no name or address changes to make, and your license does not carry certain restrictions.¹

Once you turn 75, every renewal must happen in person. That visit includes a vision screening. You will also need a branch visit if you are updating your name or address, if your license has been expired more than 180 days, or if the BMV has flagged your record for testing.

Fees

Renewal fees are set by Indiana statute and scale down with age:

Under 75: $17.50
75 to 84: $11.00
85 and older: $7.00

The fee schedule is in Indiana Code.² Renewing after your expiration date adds a $6 administrative penalty.¹

What to Bring to the Branch

An in-person renewal requires original documents from five categories. Photocopies are not accepted; bring originals or certified copies.³

Identity: one document, such as an unexpired U.S. passport or certified birth certificate.
Lawful status: one document proving lawful presence in the United States. A passport or birth certificate can cover both identity and lawful status.
Social Security number: one document showing your full SSN, such as a Social Security card.
Indiana residency: two documents showing your name and Indiana residential address, such as a utility bill or bank statement dated within 60 days. Post office boxes are not accepted.
Name change (if applicable): a marriage license, divorce decree naming your new name, or court order.

This same set satisfies the federal Real ID standard, so a renewal done in person produces a Real ID-compliant license at no extra fee.⁴

Renewing an Expired License

How long your license has been expired determines how much extra you have to do at the branch.

Expired 180 days to five years: branch visit, $6 administrative penalty, written knowledge test, and vision screening, plus the standard fee.
Expired more than five years: everything above, plus a behind-the-wheel driving skills test.

If you have six or more active points on your driving record, the BMV requires the written test at renewal even if your license just expired.¹

Vision Screening

Every in-person renewal includes a vision screening. Wear your glasses or contacts to the test if you normally drive with them. The BMV uses the following thresholds to decide whether you pass and what restrictions go on your license:

20/40 or better in both eyes without glasses: no restrictions.
20/40 in one eye and 20/50 or worse in the other, without glasses: outside mirror restriction.
20/50 in both eyes with glasses: corrective lens restriction.
20/50 in one eye and 20/70 or worse in the other, with glasses: corrective lens and outside mirror restrictions.
20/70 in both eyes with glasses: corrective lens, outside mirror, and daylight-driving-only restrictions.

If your vision is worse than 20/70 in the better eye with correction, you will not pass, and the BMV will refer you to an eye doctor for evaluation.⁵

Driving on an Expired License

In Indiana, driving with an expired license is a traffic infraction that carries fines up to $500. That is separate from the $6 late-renewal fee the BMV charges when you eventually renew. The infraction is added to your driving record and can appear on background checks.

Insurance companies routinely check license status. A lapse can raise premiums or complicate a claim filed while your license was expired.

Holds That Can Block Your Renewal

Some drivers arrive at the BMV ready to renew and find their driving privileges are suspended. Two causes are especially common.

Unpaid Traffic Violations

Failing to appear on a traffic citation, or leaving a fine unpaid after judgment, can trigger a suspension. To clear the hold you generally need to appear in court and resolve the matter, have your insurer file an SR-22, or serve out the full suspension period. Until one of those happens, the BMV will not process a renewal.⁶

Child Support Arrears

Indiana can suspend your license if you fall at least $2,000 behind on child support or become three months delinquent. The Title IV-D agency mails a notice first, and you have 20 days from the mailing date to pay in full, set up a payment plan with an income withholding order, or request a hearing in writing. The hearing is narrow: the only ground for contesting the suspension is a mistake of fact.⁷

If Your Name or Address Has Changed

A name change disqualifies you from online renewal. You must visit a branch within 30 days of the change. Update your name with the Social Security Administration first and wait at least one business day for SSA’s records to sync, then bring the original marriage license, divorce decree specifying your new name, or court order.³

An address change also requires a branch visit within 30 days, plus two documents showing the new Indiana residential address.³

Active-Duty Military

If you are an active-duty service member stationed outside Indiana and your license expires while you are serving, it remains valid until 90 days after your discharge or post-deployment. The same 90-day extension applies to your spouse, your dependent child, or a person whose parent or guardian is the service member. CDL holders can renew as if the license never expired, avoiding the testing that would otherwise apply to a long-lapsed license.⁸

If your license expires before you can reach a branch, you can request a 30-day interim credential by downloading and mailing State Form 54580. That document keeps you legal while you arrange the branch visit; it is not a full renewal.¹

Real ID and Flying

Federal Real ID enforcement began May 7, 2025. A standard, non-compliant Indiana license is no longer accepted at TSA airport checkpoints for domestic flights. To fly, you need a Real ID-compliant license, a U.S. passport, a passport card, or another federally accepted ID.⁹ If you renew in person with the full document set above, your new license is Real ID-compliant automatically. There is no separate application and no extra fee.

Starting February 1, 2026, TSA offers a fallback called ConfirmID: a $45 fee for TSA to try to verify your identity at the checkpoint if you show up without acceptable ID.¹⁰

If Your Renewal Is Denied

The BMV can deny a renewal for a failed vision screening, an unresolved traffic issue, or missing documents. You can request an administrative hearing and present evidence to an administrative law judge, who is required by statute to issue a decision within 90 days of the hearing. If you disagree with the recommended order, you have 18 days to request reconsideration; otherwise, it becomes the BMV’s final decision on the 19th day. Further review runs through the Indiana court system.¹¹

1
Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV). Renewing a Driver’s License, Learner’s Permit, or Identification Card
2
Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 9-24-12-5
3
Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Amending Your Driver’s License or Identification Card
4
IN.gov. Real ID Documentation Checklist
5
IN.gov. Vision Screening
6
IN.gov. Common Traffic Violations
7
IN.gov. Section 04.01 Driver’s License Suspension
8
Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 9-24-12-6
9
Transportation Security Administration. REAL ID
10
Transportation Security Administration. Acceptable Identification at the TSA Checkpoint
11
Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Hearing and Review