Washington Driver’s License Renewal: How to Renew, Costs, and ID

Renewing a Washington driver’s license is a birthday-based process: your license expires on your birthday every six or eight years, and you can start the renewal up to one year early or up to 60 days late without a penalty. A standard renewal costs $61 for six years or $81 for eight, paid online, by phone, by mail (by invitation only), or in person at a Department of Licensing office. Whether you can skip the counter depends mostly on one thing: how you renewed last time.

When You Can Renew

Your expiration date sits on your birthday, six or eight years out from the last issuance. The Department of Licensing (DOL) mails a renewal notice several weeks ahead; it carries a letter ID that speeds up online renewal, but you don’t need the notice to renew.

The renewal window opens one year before expiration. If your license has already lapsed, you have a 60-day grace period to renew at the regular price. After that, a $10 late fee is added to the renewal cost. Two situations excuse the late fee: you were out of state when the license expired and renew within 60 days of returning, or you were incapacitated and renew within 60 days of recovery.¹

One hard limit: if your license has been expired for more than eight years, you cannot renew it. You’ll apply as a first-time driver and go through the full testing process.²

What It Costs

A standard Washington driver license is $10 per year. Pick your term at renewal:

Six years: $61
Eight years: $81

An Enhanced Driver License (EDL) costs more because of the federal compliance and RFID technology built into the card:

EDL, six years: $103
EDL, eight years: $137

The EDL totals include the application fee, the per-year issuance fee, and a technology fee.³ Add $10 if you renew more than 60 days past expiration.¹

Online and phone transactions take major credit and debit cards. In-person offices also accept checks and cash.

How to Renew

Washington offers four renewal methods, but eligibility varies. The key rule is that the state alternates renewal cycles: if you renewed online last time, you have to come in this time, and vice versa. This is how the DOL keeps your photo and vision check current.

Online

The fastest option if you qualify. Sign in to License Express (or use the no-login renewal link on the DOL website), verify your identity, and pay. You’re eligible only if your last renewal was done in person.²

By Phone

Available if you’re under 70 and your last renewal was in person. Call DOL customer service at 360-902-3900 to check eligibility and pay.²

By Mail

Mail renewal is only available if the DOL sent you a letter specifically inviting you to renew by mail. You can’t opt into it on your own.²

In Person

You have to visit a driver licensing office if any of the following applies:

You’re 70 or older. No online, phone, or mail option is available at that age.
You renewed online last time.
The DOL has flagged a vision concern.
Your photo is outdated or your appearance has changed significantly.

The clerk verifies your documents, takes a new photo, and screens your vision.² Appointments are preferred, but walk-ins are accepted.

What to Bring

For a standard renewal, bring your current license or an equivalent government-issued photo ID. State law also requires you to provide your Social Security number, or evidence that you’re ineligible for one, whenever a license is issued or renewed.⁴ Acceptable identity documents include a valid or recently expired driver license with your photo and signature, a U.S. passport, a military ID, or a state ID card. A minor who can’t present their own qualifying ID may use a parent or guardian’s affidavit along with the parent’s identification.⁵

Renewing an EDL is heavier. You must prove identity, U.S. citizenship, a Social Security number, and Washington residency, with residency documents showing your name and physical Washington address.⁶ A standard Washington license is not REAL ID-compliant, so if you rely on it for domestic flights, the EDL is Washington’s REAL ID-compliant alternative.⁷

Vision Screening

Every in-person renewal includes a vision test. The minimum standard is 20/40 in both eyes, corrected or uncorrected. If your vision falls short, the DOL refers you to an eye care specialist.⁸ Renewing online or by mail lets you self-certify that you meet the 20/40 standard, which is exactly why the state cycles renewals through the counter every other time.

Your New License and the Temporary Paper

After you finish, you get a temporary paper license valid for 45 days. Carry it with your expired card while you drive; law enforcement recognizes the pair as valid.⁹ The permanent card arrives by mail in 7 to 10 business days. If nothing has shown up by day 30, call the DOL at 360-902-3900. An incorrect mailing address on the application is the most common cause of delayed delivery, so double-check that field before you submit.

Renewing With a Name Change

If your name changed through marriage, divorce, or a court order, update it with the Social Security Administration first, then visit a DOL office in person with one of the following certified documents:

Marriage certificate or license filed with the county. Church or chapel forms alone don’t qualify.
Court order, filed and certified.
Divorce decree, filed and certified.
Original birth certificate.

If a Washington Superior Court sealed your name change order, contact the DOL Identity Management Team by email before visiting an office.¹⁰ A plain address change is much simpler and can usually be done online through License Express.

Situations That Block a Standard Renewal

A suspended or revoked license cannot be renewed. You have to resolve the underlying issue first, which may mean paying fines, completing a court-ordered program, or meeting reinstatement conditions the DOL has set. Once the suspension clears, you renew like anyone else. If it’s been long enough that your license also expired more than eight years ago, you’ll apply as a new driver instead.

Drivers under 18 hold an intermediate license, not a standard one, and it comes with nighttime and passenger restrictions. It expires automatically on your 18th birthday, when you transition to a standard license.¹¹ Check the printed expiration date as your birthday approaches so you’re not driving on an expired card without realizing it.

Active-Duty Military and Their Families

If you’re active-duty military stationed outside Washington, your license stays valid for your entire period of active service plus 90 days after discharge, regardless of the printed expiration. The extension also covers your spouse, domestic partner, and dependents who share your residence.¹²

To show the license is still valid, carry your military ID (or dependent ID) along with a DOL authorization card. Domestic partners should carry proof of the relationship plus the authorization card. The card is available to active-duty members of the armed forces, National Guard, and reservists called to duty for 180 days or more.²

CDL Renewal Differs

CDL holders follow the same core timing: renew up to a year early, a 60-day grace period, the same $10 late fee, and no renewal at all if you’ve been expired for more than eight years.¹³ Most CDL renewals can be done online through License Express, but you must renew in person if you’re upgrading your CDL class, adding or removing endorsements, renewing a hazardous materials endorsement, providing residency or citizenship documents, or dealing with an expired medical examiner’s certificate.

A hazardous materials endorsement adds a TSA background check and a knowledge test. Start the TSA process about 90 days before renewal, since TSA reports clearance directly to the DOL. Your CDL expiration is tied to your HME clearance, so a lapsed background check can affect the whole license.¹³ CDL holders also have to keep a medical self-certification on file matching how they operate commercially.¹⁴

1
Washington State Legislature. RCW 46.20.181 – Expiration Date, Renewal, Fees, Penalty
2
Washington State Department of Licensing. Renew Driver License
3
Washington State Department of Licensing. Driver Licensing Fees
4
Washington State Legislature. RCW 46.20.035 – Evidence of Identity and Birth Date Required for License Issuance or Renewal
5
Legal Information Institute. Washington Code 308-104-040 – Drivers Licenses for Identification and Identicards
6
Washington State Department of Licensing. Guide to Enhanced Driver Licenses (EDL)
7
Washington State Department of Licensing. REAL ID
8
Washington State Legislature. WAC 308-104-010 – Vision Requirement
9
Washington State Department of Licensing. Moving to Washington: Get a Driver License
10
Washington State Department of Licensing. Change Your Name or Address on Your Driver License
11
Washington State Legislature. RCW 46.20.075 – Intermediate License
12
Washington State Department of Licensing. Driver License Designations for Military Personnel and Veterans
13
Washington State Department of Licensing. Renew Your CDL
14
Washington State Department of Licensing. Medical Certificates and Self-Certification