RALEIGH
Gov. Josh Stein signed a bill into law Tuesday that aims to reduce the number of trips people must make to a Division of Motor Vehicles office.
The new law allows residents to renew a driver’s license or state identification card two consecutive times online, as long as their credential is not a REAL ID.
Until now, someone with a standard driver’s license had to renew in person at a DMV office at least every 16 years. The new law extends that to 24 years for people without a REAL ID. People with REAL IDs are still required by federal law to get a new photo every 16 years, which requires a trip to the office.
The new law also changes the rules for people who renewed their license online, then came into an office to get a REAL ID before that license expired. They are now able to renew that REAL ID online rather than come in to an office.
Teens seeking full provisional license can skip a visit
The new law also eliminates one of three visits that teens had to make to the DMV to obtain their provisional license.
State law used to require teens under 18 going through the graduated licensing process to first visit the DMV to receive a learner’s permit, then twice more for limited and full provisional licenses.
Now teens no longer need to make the last visit, which was primarily to present a log showing the teen has completed 12 hours of driving under various circumstances. The bill also eliminated the need to complete the 12-hour log.
It will take the DMV about a month to implement the changes with one exception. People who renewed online and then got a REAL ID in person before that license expired will be able to begin renewing the REAL ID online in about a week.
The Senate unanimously approved the bill and sent it to Stein last week, nearly two months after it passed the House with overwhelming support. Bill supporters said it could save residents an estimated 300,000 trips to the DMV each year.
“This law will enable more people to renew their drivers license online, helping them avoid lines at DMV offices,” Stein said in a statement Tuesday.
