WV Driver’s License Renewal: Methods, Documents, and Fees

Renewing a West Virginia driver’s license takes one proof of identity, one proof of your Social Security number, two proofs of West Virginia residency, and a vision screening. Most drivers can complete a WV driver’s license renewal online or at a WV DMV Now kiosk. You’ll need to go in person to a regional DMV office if you’re upgrading to a REAL ID for the first time, changing your name, address, or photo, or dealing with a license that’s been expired a long time. The fee is $5.00 for each year of validity under the state’s “Drive for Five” schedule.

Three Ways to Renew

West Virginia gives you three renewal options, but not everyone qualifies for all three.

Online

The DMV’s self-service tool is the fastest route. You’re eligible to renew online if you’re a U.S. citizen, you don’t need to change your name, address, or photo, and you aren’t upgrading to a REAL ID for the first time. After you finish, the new license arrives in the mail in 30 to 45 days.¹

At a WV DMV Now Kiosk

Roughly a dozen kiosks around the state handle license renewals, mostly inside Kroger and Sheetz stores. Several run 24/7; hours vary by location. The same eligibility limits that apply online apply here: no personal-information changes, no first-time REAL ID upgrade. The kiosk prints a temporary card on the spot, and the permanent license is mailed to you.²

In Person at a Regional Office

An in-person visit is required if you need to change your name, address, or photo, or if you’re upgrading to REAL ID. Bring your documents, fill out the application at the counter, sit for a new photo, and pass the vision screening. You’ll walk out with a temporary license and receive the permanent card by mail. Booking an appointment online ahead of time can save you a long wait.³

Documents You’ll Need

The DMV sorts the required paperwork into three buckets. Gather all of it before you go, because a missing document means a second trip.

One Proof of Identity

Bring one of the following as an original or certified document, not a photocopy:

A U.S. birth certificate issued by a state or the U.S. Department of State. Hospital birth certificates and Bureau of Census records don’t count.
A valid, unexpired U.S. passport or passport card.
For foreign-born applicants: a Permanent Resident Card, Employment Authorization Document, Certificate of Naturalization, Certificate of Citizenship, Consular Report of Birth Abroad, or a foreign passport with a valid U.S. visa and approved I-94 form.⁴

One Proof of Social Security Number

Your Social Security card works, as does an original W-2 showing your employer’s name and ID number along with your full SSN, or a 1099 showing your full SSN. A photocopy of a W-2 isn’t accepted.⁴

Two Proofs of West Virginia Residency

You need two separate documents showing your name and physical West Virginia address. The DMV keeps two lists, and you can mix and match:

List One: WV utility bills (no older than 60 days, and not two from the same company), WV tax records, mortgage or homeowner insurance documents, a WV W-2 no older than 18 months, a WV vehicle registration card, a WV voter registration card, and residential lease agreements.
List Two: a college admissions letter showing in-state residency, a letter from a WV shelter or residential facility, or a paycheck stub from a WV employer.

A single W-2 no more than 18 months old can serve as both your SSN proof and one of your two residency documents.⁴

Name Change Documentation

If your name has changed since your last license was issued, bring legal proof linking the two names: a marriage certificate, divorce decree, or court order. Any name change requires an in-person visit to a regional office.

Fees and the Drive for Five Schedule

West Virginia doesn’t issue every license for the same number of years. Under “Drive for Five,” your license expires in the year you reach an age divisible by five: 25, 30, 35, 40, and so on. The fee is $5.00 per year of validity. Renew at age 21, for example, and you’ll pay $20.00 for a license that expires when you turn 25.⁵

If your license has already expired, add a $5.00 late fee to the renewal cost.⁶ Payment methods vary by location but generally include cash, checks, and debit or credit cards.

Vision Screening

Every renewal includes a vision screening, whether you’re in person or at a kiosk. West Virginia requires combined visual acuity of at least 20/40, with or without corrective lenses, for an unrestricted license. Combined acuity between 20/40 and 20/70 may get you a license restricted to daytime driving. Below 20/70, the DMV can’t issue a license at all.⁷

Bring your glasses or contacts if you wear them. The screening tests your vision as-corrected, and passing only with corrective lenses puts a restriction on the license. If you fail, the DMV won’t process the renewal until you provide documentation from an eye care provider showing you meet the minimum.

When You Have to Renew In Person

Skip the online tool and the kiosk if any of the following apply:

You’re upgrading to a REAL ID-compliant license for the first time. Federal agencies began enforcing REAL ID on May 7, 2025, and non-compliant licenses no longer work for boarding commercial flights or entering federal buildings. If your current license reads “Not for Federal Use” across the top, that’s the license you’d be upgrading.⁸¹
Your name has changed.
You want to update your address or photo at the same time as the renewal.

A standard, non-REAL ID license still works for everyday driving in West Virginia if you don’t fly or visit federal buildings. Upgrading during a routine renewal is easier than upgrading in a hurry before a trip.

If Your License Has Been Expired

A recently expired license can still be renewed through any of the three methods above, with the $5.00 late fee added. Licenses that expire on your 18th or 21st birthday come with a 30-day grace period to visit the DMV for the appropriate age-based license.

The important cutoff is three years. If your WV license has been expired for more than three years, the DMV treats you as a first-time applicant. You’ll need the full document set plus the written knowledge test, the road skills test, and the vision screening before a new license can be issued.⁹ Renewing even one day before that three-year mark keeps you out of the testing requirement entirely.

Special Situations

Military Members Stationed Elsewhere

Active-duty military stationed outside West Virginia get a break. Under state law, your WV license doesn’t expire until six months after separation from active duty under honorable circumstances. You can renew online from wherever you’re posted, and the license will be mailed to the address on file; if your mailing address differs from the physical address on the license, submit a change-of-address form to route it correctly.¹⁰

Non-Citizens With Lawful Status

If you have lawful immigration status, you can renew a WV license, but yours is a limited-term version. It expires either when your authorized stay ends or on the state’s normal schedule, whichever comes first. If your authorized stay has no expiration date, the license is valid for a maximum of one year.¹¹ Bring current documentation of your status. The DMV verifies through the federal SAVE system, which can slow processing.

Commercial Driver’s Licenses

A CDL that has been expired for more than six months requires you to pass both the written and road tests for a regular Class E license and all CDL examination requirements before the DMV will reissue it.⁶ That’s a much tighter window than the three-year cushion on a regular license. If your CDL carries a hazardous materials endorsement, renewal also requires a TSA security threat assessment with new fingerprints. The current fee is $85.25, or $41.00 if you hold a valid TWIC card in a state that accepts the TWIC assessment in place of the separate HME screening. TSA recommends starting the assessment at least 60 days before the endorsement is due.¹²

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West Virginia DMV. Renew Your Drivers License or State ID
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WV Division of Motor Vehicles. WV DMV Now Kiosk
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WV Division of Motor Vehicles. Make an Appointment
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West Virginia DMV. Acceptable Proof Documents
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WV Division of Motor Vehicles. License and Renewal Fees
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WV Division of Motor Vehicles. License Renewal
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West Virginia Legislature. West Virginia Code 17B-2A-2 – Vision Requirements
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Transportation Security Administration. Acceptable Identification at the TSA Checkpoint
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WV Division of Motor Vehicles. Drivers Licenses and ID Cards
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WV Division of Motor Vehicles. Military Service Member
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eCFR. 6 CFR Section 37.21 – Temporary or Limited-Term Drivers Licenses and Identification Cards
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Transportation Security Administration. HAZMAT Endorsement