California driver's license and ID card: first license, renewal, replacement and REAL ID

How to get a first California driver's license or teen provisional permit, switch from an out-of-state license, renew online, by mail or in person, replace a lost card, and get a REAL ID or state ID card, from the California DMV.

Guide · California · REAL ID · Driver licenses · Renewals · ID cards · updated October 29, 2026

California driver's licenses, instruction permits and ID cards are issued by the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Most applications start online and finish at a DMV field office. Many renewals and replacements never need an office visit. This guide covers each case in turn. For booking a visit and paying, see the California DMV visit guide.

Your first California license

The DMV says every original license expires on your fifth birthday after the application date. If your identity document expires sooner, you get a "limited term" license that expires with it. A Class C license costs $46, whether it is new or a renewal. The application and fee stay valid for 12 months.

Teen drivers: the provisional permit

To get a provisional instruction permit if you are under 18, the DMV says you must:

  • Be at least 15½ but under 18.
  • Have a certificate of completion or enrollment in driver education.
  • Complete the online license application and have a parent or guardian sign it.
  • Visit a DMV office. There you bring your identity and residency documents (or a California ID card), pay the fee, pass a vision exam, have your photo taken and pass the knowledge test. The test is multiple choice, based on the California Driver's Handbook, and you need 80% to pass.

To take the driving test before 18, you must:

  • Be between 16 and 18.
  • Have held the provisional permit for at least six months.
  • Have completed driver education and six hours of professional driver training.
  • Have completed 50 hours of practice, including at least 10 at night, with an adult aged 25 or older who holds a valid California license and can certify the hours.

Adults

If you are 18 or older and have never held a license anywhere, you apply for an instruction permit in the same way. You do not need the driver education certificates or a parent's signature. You then take the driving test when you are ready.

The driving test

Driving tests are given only by appointment. Book online or call 1-800-777-0133. You must show proof of insurance that meets California requirements. If you are under 18 and fail, you must wait 14 days before retesting; adults schedule a new test on another day. Either way there is a retest fee. After three failures, your application is no longer valid and you must reapply. Once you pass, you get a temporary license valid for 60 days. The card arrives by mail within three to four weeks.

Moving to California with a license from another state

If you hold a valid license from another U.S. state, you complete the online application and then visit a DMV office. There you provide your Social Security number, an identity document and residency documents. You also pay the fee, have your thumbprint scanned, pass a vision exam, have your photo taken and pass the knowledge test or tests. A license from another country follows the same steps plus a driving test.

The full step-by-step process, and the DMV's residency rule, are in Moving to California: getting your driver's license and registering your car.

Renewing your license

The DMV sends a courtesy renewal notice about four months before your license expires. It says there are no late fees to renew a license that has already expired, but driving on an expired license is illegal.

Online. You may be able to renew online if all of these apply:

  • You are within 90 days before or 12 months after the expiration date.
  • You do not need to change your address or physical description.
  • You are not applying for a REAL ID for the first time.
  • You are not renewing a commercial license.

If you already hold a REAL ID, you can renew it online as long as you do not need to change your address or description. DMV kiosks also offer license and ID renewal.

By mail. You may be eligible if you can answer no to all of the DMV's questions. These include whether your license expires more than 120 days from today, whether you are on probation or suspension, whether you have already had two consecutive five-year extensions by mail or internet, and whether you are applying for a first REAL ID.

In person, if your notice tells you to. Bring the notice or a completed application. You have your thumbprint scanned, pass a vision exam, have your photo taken and pay the fee. Your notice says whether you need a knowledge test. For drivers aged 70 and older, the DMV says most of the renewal process, such as starting the application and taking the eLearning course if required, can be done online.

Replacing a lost or stolen license

You can request a replacement driver's license online, or at a DMV kiosk. The online replacement does not cover ID cards or commercial licenses. For those, you start the online application and finish at an office, where your photo is validated and your thumbprint scanned. A replacement Class C license costs $37. The new card arrives by mail within three to four weeks.

To update your address, see how soon to tell the California DMV about a new address.

REAL ID

All noncommercial licenses are available as REAL ID-compliant or federal non-compliant cards. A California REAL ID shows a grizzly bear and a star in the upper-right corner. Since May 7, 2025, you need a REAL ID, a passport or another federally compliant document to board a domestic flight or enter secure federal facilities. Applicants for an AB 60 license cannot get a REAL ID.

For the documents and the online upload process, see REAL ID in California. See also REAL ID explained.

California ID cards

The DMV can issue an ID card to a person of any age. There are three types:

  • REAL ID card
  • Standard ID card, valid for six birthdates after the application date
  • Senior citizen ID card for people aged 62 or older, which is free and valid for eight birthdates

A regular ID card costs $40. A reduced-fee card costs $11 if you qualify through certain assistance programs, which give you Form DL 937. People who are homeless as defined by the McKinney-Vento Act may get a no-fee card. To apply, you start the online application and visit an office with your Social Security number and your identity and residency documents. ID cards can be renewed online, by mail or at a kiosk if you meet the DMV's conditions.

For vehicles, see the California vehicle registration and title guide.

Sources · checked October 29, 2026

We wrote this summary ourselves from the official pages above on the date shown. Agencies change rules without notice: the official page always wins. DMVorganization.org is independent and not a government agency.

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