Renewing US Driver's License

I just received a renewal notice from my home state’s DMV, reminding me that my license will soon expire. It says that I have to renew it IN PERSON since my last two renewals were done by mail and that I need to take a vision test and get my thumbprint and photo taken. Has any of you American expats encountered this? Besides making a trip to the US expressly for this (which is quite silly IMO), is there any way around this? For instance, go to AIT and get the necessary test results notarized. Can I just let my license expire and renew it the next time I go back (maybe in a year or two)?

I know it is determined state-by-state on both renewal and renewal after expiration. AIT has nothing special to assist, unless they have a normal service that the state requires, like your suggestion of a notary. Also might want to take into consideration State Tax requirements if there are any and if they have been complied with. And the certifications that were started sometime after 911 (different in each state) that requester is indeed an American even if you have had a license forever.

You should look up how long it can be expired before you have to take the tests again instead of just renewing while it’s expired. Try to plan a trip home before then. That’s the best advice I can offer. I’ve been in that situation before, too.

Good tip, scomargo. Yeah, the more I think about this, the more I’m convinced there’s no other way around it. I have to go in to the DMV in person sooner or later if I want to keep my driver’s license. How else would they obtain my thumbprint and photo? Notarized eye exam result (even done at AIT) would probably not cut it. So how hard was the test? Did you have to take a driving test in addition to the written? Last time I studied for a test was about 20 years ago.

I know I can renew online twice (4 years each time), but the third renewal has to be in person.

On the off-chance you do decide to go to the US to renew your license, make the trip not just about that, but an excuse to do other things while there… banking, visiting friends and rellies, stocking up on stuff you can’t get in Taiwan, etc.

It’s not like you’ll have forgotten to drive–I can’t imagine they’ll want you to take a road test again. They just want to make sure your vision is okay and you’re not otherwise unable to drive. I’m sure you’ll be able to explain that you’ve been overseas and unable to comply temporarily. It must happen all the time–ask them directly. I’d be really surprised if you had to make a special trip for it, and couldn’t just do it the next time you went back. Even doing the road test again probably wouldn’t be as much trouble as taking a flight back for it.

I ran into this situation a few years back and haven’t been back to my home state since. I’m settled here permanently and have been fine without a US driver’s license. Thinking of getting a Taiwanese license and then using that to get an International Drivers License when I need to travel overseas. Has anyone else used this approach before? Having to renew in my home state is a pain. I travel to the US regularly but only to California.

I have a local Taiwan driver license and I have used ita and the international driver license obtained in Taiwan to rent cars in Europe and America. Never a problem.

My us license has been expired for a couple of years and the couple states I checked require a full written test and a full driving test. In addition to being a resident of the state in which they want copies of rental agreement or other evidence. I have family and friends that can go to licence office and vouch that I live at their house which is also acceptable.

This exact situation happened to me in 2012. I had planned a trip back to my home state (California) in mid-April, which included renting a car, and then realized my license would expire in March. I couldn’t change my plans, so the day I arrived in the US I went to the DMV (luckily my daughter in the US had made an appointment for me so I didn’t need to stand in a huge line). Even though my license had been expired for about 40 days, I only had to take the eye test; no other tests required. I took the temporary license they gave me and was able to rent a car later that day.

[quote=“tango42”]
I have a local Taiwan driver license and I have used ita and the international driver license obtained in Taiwan to rent cars in Europe and America. Never a problem.[/quote]

Good to know, thanks! Now just to find time to go take the driving test here in Taiwan. Did you do driving school or just rock up to the test center and take the exam?

Oh yeah, the notorious long lines. I know some people elect to go to a remote DMV just so they can avoid the long lines.

Interesting to see all the people who’ve chimed in here are oldtimers. I guess this is not something newbies think about. But one day, 8 or 9 years down the road when they get that DMV notice in the mail, they’ll wish they had read this thread. :cactus:

I don’t know what there is to think about. You live in a foreign country. Why do you care about your home country DL? Most likely at most you will have to take the vision and the written test when you return home. I had to do this when I moved to a different state. Easy.

Just get a Taiwanese license and int’l DL for travel. You will want to study the written test questions (various different versions are online) and there are practice computers outside the testing center. The road test is silly and possible to fail but if you read the old threads on here there are some pointers. Overall it only takes the morning or the afternoon. It’s important that you take your home country DL (expired or not) to the DMV so you can skip the probationary period that new drivers need to do.

A driver’s license is one’s de facto ID in the states. So it’s more about having a convenient ID than a license to drive a car. Of course, I could use my passport as an ID, but carrying a whole passport book around is inconvenient to say the least.

A driver’s license is one’s de facto ID in the states. So it’s more about having a convenient ID than a license to drive a car. Of course, I could use my passport as an ID, but carrying a whole passport book around is inconvenient to say the least.[/quote]

You only need a current DL to drive a car. For almost anything else you could carry around your expired DL, your ARC or your Taiwanese DL (tough to use as age verification).

[quote=“Abacus”]
You only need a current DL to drive a car. For almost anything else you could carry around your expired DL, [/quote]
You got a point there. After all, the bartender who cards me will be looking for my date of birth, not the expiration date of my DL.

Bump.

Has anyone had any experience with renewing your drivers license, but for a different state?

I have an NJ license (that’s going to expire in October this year), but my permanent address changed from NJ to FL. Florida DMV website doesn’t have much info on whether I can send in an app via mail or e-mail, but it does state NJ license can be automatically transferred if you provide all the necessary docs.

Can anyone shed any light? I understand mailing in renewals varies, but state, but not sure if you can apply for a transfer via mail.