CHICAGO — For the final time, expiration dates for Illinois driver's licenses and ID cards have been extended an additional three months - from Jan. 1 to March 31, according to a news release from Secretary of State Jesse White.
The three-month extension does not apply to commercial driver's licenses and commercial learner's permits.
The COVID-19 pandemic was a driving factor behind Public Act 102-678, which authorized the extension.
"This extension is necessary" White said in the release, "as my office continues to address the heavy customer volume caused by the COVID-19 pandemic through expanded online services and the introduction of appointments at select Driver Services facilities.”
Throughout the pandemic, the Illinois Secretary of State Office has required appointments at select Department of Motor Vehicle locations for road tests, REAL IDs, driver's licenses and ID cards. Appointments can be made here.
The state office, in an effort to decrease costumer volume at DMVs, has also mailed letters to those with expired IDs, requiring them to renew them remotely, either online, by phone or by mail. Other transactions, such as purchasing license plate stickers, getting a duplicate ID, are also able to be completed online through the Illinois Secretary of State website.
Back in April, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security extended the federal REAL ID deadline from Oct. 1, 2021 to May 3, 2023. Starting then, REAL IDs or U.S. passports will be required for Illinois residents to fly domestically.
