DMV to offer mail-in renewals for driver's licenses that expire in November, December

BOISE — In an effort to alleviate long lines in county Division of Motor Vehicle driver’s licensing offices, the Idaho Transportation Department will provide citizens with licenses that expire in November and December an option to renew driver’s licenses and identification cards by mail.

ITD has been exploring potential solutions to assist county DMV offices after vendor technological issues forced statewide driver’s license offices to close for nearly a week in August. Offices reopened in late August, but long lines of customers seeking driver’s license services continue in many counties.

The DMV will send all citizens with licenses expiring in November and December a form so they can opt to renew by mail, instead of going to physical offices. Mail-in renewals also will be available in county offices that process and provide driver’s license services. ITD will track the number of mail-in renewals and work with the Idaho Sheriffs’ Association to decide whether or not there’s a need to extend this process past the end of the year.

“This system failure has at no time been the responsibility or fault of our county sheriffs and their staff,” said Idaho Sheriffs Association President Kieran Donahue. “The combination of vendor software failures and upgrades to other software have not been able to achieve what either the sheriffs or ITD would have expected for a system which supplies such vital service to the citizens of the state. We are hopeful the mail-in renewal process will help take some pressure off the system and our citizens while the state works on remedying the situation by exploring other long-term solutions.”

Since an ITD interim solution was implemented after that multi-day outage, the system is stable. Transaction times however have been slower, contributing to longer lines in some offices.

“ITD appreciates our county sheriffs and staff that have been working tirelessly to assist customers that have been unable to receive a license due to late-summer system issues,” said ITD DMV Division Administrator Alberto Gonzalez. “In the future, the DMV plans to offer an online customer portal that provides self-service functions for various licensing needs. Currently, ITD is eager to provide this mail-in renewal option effective this week.”

There are some specifics associated with the mail-in driver’s license renewal process. Some highlights include:

- Only licenses that expire in November and December 2018 are available for mail-in renewal.

- The Star Card, Idaho’s Real ID, will NOT be available by mail. Citizens seeking the Star Card must present required documents in person at DMV offices to meet federal requirements. For a full list of items that are accepted to obtain the Star Card visit, itd.idaho.gov/starcard.

- Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) holders cannot renew by mail.

ITD, the Sheriffs’ Association and Governor Butch Otter’s office are working closely in partnership with each other on permanent, long-term solutions to DMV licensing issues.

It’s important to note that County assessor’s offices that issue vehicle registrations and titles are not experiencing long lines or delays.

For more information, citizens are encouraged to call the ITD DMV Customer Care Center at 208-334-8736.