The short version
- An eight-year license costs $32, or $27 if you renew online or through the DDS 2 GO app. Honorably discharged veterans can get a veteran’s license for free.
- You can renew up to 150 days before your license expires and up to two years after.
- Online renewal needs a REAL ID-compliant license, the kind with a star. Drivers 64 and older also have to submit a recent vision report.
Georgia licenses are issued by the Department of Driver Services (DDS). If you renew in person, you’ll leave with an interim license, and the permanent card arrives by mail within 45 days.
Not a standard renewal?
- New to Georgia? You’ll transfer your old license instead. See our guide to transferring an out-of-state license to Georgia.
- License suspended? You can’t renew until your driving privilege is restored, though you can get an ID card in the meantime. Our guide to Georgia license reinstatement covers the steps.
- Still on a provisional license? You’ll move up to a full license instead of renewing. See our guide to the Georgia provisional license.
When You Can Renew a Georgia License
Licenses last eight years. You can renew up to 150 days before the expiration date, and DDS still lets you renew for up to two years after it.
If Your License Has Expired
Within two years of the expiration date, you can renew the usual way. After two years, you’ll have to pass the knowledge exam, vision exam and road skills test again. Either way, don’t drive until you’ve renewed.
What You Need to Renew in Georgia
For Online Renewal
You’ll need a REAL ID-compliant license, marked with a star, that isn’t suspended. If your name has changed, you’ll have to renew in person with documents showing the change.
For In-Person Renewal
If your license doesn’t have a star yet, bring originals of:
- One proof of identity, such as a birth certificate or passport
- Your full Social Security number, which goes on the application
- Two documents showing your Georgia home address
Photocopies aren’t accepted, and you’ll have a new photo taken. A P.O. box can be your mailing address, but DDS still needs proof of where you live.
A Vision Report, If You’re 64 or Older
Drivers 64 and older need a vision check at every renewal. To renew online, upload a Vision Report Form (DDS-MR-274) or a detailed eye exam from an optometrist or ophthalmologist, dated within the last two years. Otherwise, take the vision screening at a DDS center. You’ll need at least 20/60 vision in one eye, with or without glasses.
How to Renew Your Georgia License
Online
Log in to DDS Online Services, choose to renew, and pay by card. You’ll save $5, and your permanent license arrives by mail within 45 days.
Through the DDS 2 GO App
Download the app, sign in, and choose Services, then Renewal. It works like online renewal, with the same $5 discount. Our guide to the DDS 2 GO mobile app explains its other features.
At a DDS Customer Service Center
Fill out the online pre-application first, since DDS saves it for 30 days. Then visit any customer service center with your documents, current license and payment in cash or by card, and you’ll leave with an interim license. No one else can renew for you, since you have to appear in person. Our guide to Georgia DMV appointments explains how to plan your visit.
By Mail, If You’re Out of State
Mail renewal is limited to military members and their dependents living with them, full-time students out of state, people working out of state or overseas, and drivers who can’t get to a center because of a physical incapacity. Send the Mail-In Renewal packet to DDS Special Issuance in Conyers at least 60 days before your license expires.
Georgia License Renewal Fees
| License | Fee |
|---|---|
| Eight-year Class C license | $32 |
| Renewing online or through DDS 2 GO | $27, after the $5 discount |
| Veteran’s license, for honorably discharged veterans | Free |
| Replacement license | $10 |
| Georgia ID card, eight years | $32 |
| Example: renewing a REAL ID license online | $27 ($32 renewal − $5 online discount) |
The DDS fee list doesn’t include a late fee for renewing an expired license, and DDS won’t refund the unused years if you move out of state after renewing.
Our guide to the Georgia veteran license plate also covers the free veteran’s license and how to qualify.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not if it expired less than two years ago, since you can still renew. After two years, you’ll need to pass the knowledge exam, vision exam and road skills test again.
You can renew online or through DDS 2 GO if your license has a star and isn’t suspended. Otherwise, renew at a DDS customer service center with your original documents.
Yes. Upload a vision report from an optometrist or ophthalmologist, dated within the last two years, through DDS Online Services, then renew online.
By mail, if you’re in the military, a full-time student, working out of state or overseas, or unable to visit a center. Send the Mail-In Renewal packet at least 60 days before your license expires.
It should arrive within 45 days. If it hasn’t, call DDS at 678-413-8400 or visit a customer service center.
No. You’ll have to wait until you’re 21, then you can update it online or through DDS 2 GO.
Conclusion
Renewing a Georgia driver’s license is quickest online or through DDS 2 GO, which saves you $5 on the $32 fee, as long as your license has a star. Drivers 64 and older need a recent vision report or an in-person screening, and anyone without a REAL ID-compliant license has to visit a DDS center with original documents. You can renew up to 150 days early. Don’t let your license sit expired for more than two years, or you’ll be retaking the knowledge and road tests.
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