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Renewing Your License in Kentucky
Determine the Status of Your License
Driving requires a valid driver’s license, so don’t let yours expire without getting a renewal. Renewals are discussed further down in this article.
You must also have a minimum amount of insurance to cover yourself and the other driver, or else be fined and get your license taken away. Read our Insurance Center for more information.
Valid License
Class D regular driver’s licenses and motorcycle licenses expire every 4 years unless you’re younger than 21. If you are younger than 21, your license expires 90 days after your 21st birthday.
Commercial drivers abide by a different schedule and rules.
If you’re not sure whether your license is still valid or what class it falls into, perform a simple driving records check on yourself.
Expired License
If you let your license expire, you have one year to go in and renew it after its expiration date with no penalties, just the same $20 fee. Once a year passes, you’ll have to retake the vision and written tests.
Look at your driving record if you need to see what your license status is.
Suspended License
If you've been getting a lot of tickets in the past couple of years, your license could be getting close to being suspended or revoked. To find out, check your records. If your license is suspended for less than one year, you won't have to take any tests to reinstate it. If it’s been more than a year, you must retake the vision and written tests.
Drivers who have had their licenses suspended for five years or more will have to start the application process all over as a new driver, including retaking all tests.
After you get to drive again, you may find that your insurance rate has skyrocketed. Now might be a good time to check with other insurance companies for better deals.
Lost License
Losing a license and being without identification is not a good situation, so get a new one right away.
Check Your Renewal Notice
Your renewal notice will contain the expiration date and whether any tests are due. The notice will go to the address on record.
You can pay for your renewal up to six months ahead of its actual expiration, whether or not you get a renewal notice that far in advance.
Renew Online
There is no online renewal.
Renew By Mail
Only military drivers are allowed mail renewal. Everyone else must go into a clerk’s office.
Renew In Person
Everyone (except active-duty military away from the state) must renew in person. It will cost $20; you don’t have to bring in any additional identification.
Go to a Circuit Court Clerk’s office to do so.
Update Your Driving Skills
The more years you’ve been on the road, the easier it is to forget what the actual traffic laws are. Taking a refresher course is an excellent idea. Plus, a lot of insurance companies offer discounts if you take a class.
Get out your insurance policy to check if your company has this discount. If it doesn’t, now could be a good time to do some online shopping at our Insurance Center to see if there are better rates out there.
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We put a lot of effort into making our content helpful & accurate. Please let us know if you see something that isn't clear or correct; we are here to ease any frustrations you may have while navigating DMV topics. We are not a government agency, please reach out to your local DMV, insurance agent, or respective professional for further assistance on specific situations.
