A legislative update that brought 8-year renewals on Delaware driver’s licenses becomes fully effective on Monday.
The renewal cost of a license remains unchanged at $5 per year or a total of $40.
The transition to an eight-year plan began in 2012 as an effort to decrease the frequency customers would need to renew. To effectively transition to the 8-year license and evenly distribute customer volume, it was necessary for the DMV to renew some driver licenses for less than eight years.
In recent years the DMV had a revolving option of a 5, 6, 7, or 8-year expiration date when a customer needed a license renewal. The length of years was determined by a computer randomization program. The transition period is now complete allowing for the permanent 8-year cycle to be applied to eligible license holders.
Licensed drivers in the state will be issued the new standard 8-year license at their next renewal, regardless of how many years they were given at their previous renewal.
Exceptions to the 8-year renewal include temporary foreign nationals, hazardous material holders, and Driving Privilege Cards.
DMV Director Scott Vien said, “The increasing number of licensed drivers in Delaware shows no signs of slowing down. In an effort to maintain First Class Service and continue to reduce wait times and customer volume at DMV Lanes, we made this proactive effort to more evenly distribute our customer volume over eight years. We believe this advance planning will help keep all of our customers pleased with the quick and efficient service they have come to expect when visiting the DMV.”
