Minnesota begins renewing driver's licenses online

Minnesotans needing to renew or replace their standard driver's license or state identification card can temporarily skip the trip to the Department of Vehicle Services (DVS) office and renew online if they meet certain requirements.

Drivers holding a valid license or one that has been expired for less than a year can renew online provided they have not changed their name, address, signature or driver's license number.

The change was enacted Wednesday after Gov. Tim Walz signed a bill into law May 27 that waived requirements for those renewing licenses to pass a vision screening and have a new photo taken.

The reprieve, however, is not permanent. It applies only to renewals completed by June 30, 2021. After that, drivers will be required to have a new photo taken and their vision screened, DVS said.

Minnesotans applying for Real ID or an Enhanced ID — forms of federally approved identification that will be needed starting in October 2021 to board domestic flights and enter federal facilities — will still have to make an in-person visit to a DVS office.

Drivers whose licenses have lapsed since Walz called a peacetime emergency in March to combat COVID-19 have been granted an automatic extension. Licenses that expire between March 12 and July 31 will remain valid through Aug. 31, including identification cards, instruction permits, provisional licenses, operator permits, limited licenses, farm-work licenses and disability parking placards, DVS said.

To renew online, drivers should go to drive.mn.gov and click on the "Apply for a Driver's License or State ID" link. Applicants will be asked to submit information and pay the $32 fee. Licenses will be sent by mail.

DVS lists offices and deputy registrars on its website. Drivers should call before visiting because available hours and services vary by location, said Megan Leonard, a DVS spokeswoman.

Tim Harlow • 612-673-7768