Colorado driver license and ID card: first license, renewal, replacement and REAL ID

How to get a first Colorado driver license or teen permit, transfer an out-of-state license, renew or replace your card, and what REAL ID and state ID cards involve, based on the Colorado DMV's own pages.

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

Colorado driver licenses, permits and state ID cards are issued by the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV), part of the Colorado Department of Revenue, at state driver license offices. This guide covers the common cases in order: a first license (including the teen permit), moving to Colorado with another state's license, renewing, replacing a lost card, REAL ID and state ID cards. For booking an appointment and the general document list, see the Colorado DMV visit guide.

Your first Colorado license

First-time applicants pre-register online and then book an appointment at a driver license office. The DMV says the written (knowledge) test is required at all ages. You can take it as many times as needed, but only twice in one day. Drivers 18 and older can take the driving test right after getting a permit. Driving tests are given by DMV-approved driving schools and testing locations, which you book directly. If you fail, you can retake the driving test once per day, starting the day after, and the DMV lists a state fee of $15.40 for each retest on top of the regular testing fees.

Teens: permit and minor license

The DMV's teen page carries a notice that driver education requirements change on Jan. 1, 2027, so check it before you start.

  • Permit (from age 15). Applicants under 16 must first finish driver education: a 30-hour course between 15 and 15½, or either the 30-hour course or a 4-hour driver awareness program between 15½ and 16. A parent, guardian or responsible adult aged 21 or older signs Form DR 2460 at the appointment, or signs it in front of a notary beforehand. The permit is valid for three years or until your 21st birthday, whichever comes first. While driving, you must be with a licensed adult aged 21 or older in the front passenger seat.
  • Before the driving test. If you are under 18, you must hold the permit for at least 12 full months and log at least 50 hours of supervised driving, 10 of them at night. Applicants under 16½ also need 6 hours of behind-the-wheel training with an approved school. The DMV lists an exception for those living more than 30 miles from a full-time driving school.
  • Minor license (from age 16). For the first 6 months, only passengers 21 or older may ride with you. For the next 6 months, you may carry one passenger under 21 at a time. Siblings are an exception. The passenger limits end after one year or at age 18, whichever comes first. During the first year you may not drive between midnight and 5 a.m., with exceptions the DMV lists, such as driving with a parent or to school or work with a signed statement.

A minor license expires 20 days after your 21st birthday. When you renew it on or after that birthday, it becomes an adult license.

Moving to Colorado with another state's license

The DMV says you become a Colorado resident if you own or operate a business in the state or live in the state for 90 consecutive days. After that, you have 30 days to transfer your driver license.

To transfer, pre-register online and book an appointment. Bring your identity and address documents and your previous license. The license must be valid or expired less than one year. If it is not, you take the written permit test and any other tests that apply. If you do not have the card, bring a motor vehicle report from your old state dated within the last 30 days. You may need to take tests and pay a fee, and your old license will be hole-punched.

The DMV lists exemptions for active-duty military members and their spouses with a valid out-of-state license, and for some out-of-state students. Applicants from Canada, France, Germany, South Korea, Taiwan and Japan are exempt from retesting under reciprocal agreements.

Renewing your license

You can renew a license or permit that expired less than a year ago. The DMV says adults can renew at any time before expiration. You have three options:

  • Online, if you are 21 or older. The DMV calls this the fastest way. Your printed receipt and your old card serve as your temporary credential. If you are 80 or older, you upload Form DR 2498, an eye exam statement from an optometrist or ophthalmologist.
  • By mail, using Form DR 2746 if you are 79 or younger, or Form DR 2330 if you are 80 or older. Allow 4 weeks. Pay by check or money order to the Colorado Department of Revenue; cash is not accepted. Mail renewal is not available to temporarily lawfully present or non-lawfully present applicants.
  • In person, by appointment. This is required in some cases, for example a name change or a change in your vision. If you are under 21, you must renew in an office.

Cards usually arrive in 10 to 14 business days but can take up to 30 days. If yours has not arrived after 30 days, you can check its status online or call 303-205-5600. The DMV says a free replacement for a card that never arrived must be requested within 90 days of issue.

Replacing a lost license

The DMV says duplicates cannot be ordered online. You can instead check myDMV for an early renewal, which gives you a new card at the regular renewal fee. For a duplicate, book an appointment and choose "Renew Colorado License/ID/Permit". A duplicate is an exact copy of your card with the same expiration date.

If you hold a REAL ID compliant card and are temporarily out of state, you can request a duplicate by mail with Form DR 2989. If your card was stolen and misused, the DMV says to file a police report first. It explains on the same page how to apply for a new license number.

REAL ID

The DMV says Colorado has been REAL ID compliant since 2012. It says that if you are a U.S. citizen, a permanent resident, a citizen of a Freely Associated State or a CDL holder, your Colorado card is already REAL ID compliant and you do not need to do anything. A compliant card shows a star on the front: black on cards issued from 2020 and gold on earlier cards. Standard cards, issued to temporarily lawfully present and non-lawfully present residents, are not REAL ID compliant and cannot be upgraded.

A REAL ID from another state does not transfer to Colorado. You must bring all the documents Colorado requires, including two proofs of your Colorado address. To check your own card, see How can I tell if my driver's license is REAL ID compliant? and REAL ID explained.

State ID cards

The DMV says Colorado residents may hold a Colorado driver license or permit, or a Colorado ID card, but not both. For a first ID card, book an appointment and bring documents proving your full legal name, date of birth, identity and lawful presence. For a minor applicant, a legal guardian must come to the driver license office with proof of guardianship and proof of their own identity.

ID cards for residents over 60 are free. Adults can renew an ID card at any time before it expires, online if they are 21 or older. An ID card can be renewed if it expired less than 10 years ago. If you are under 21, you must renew or replace an ID card in an office. Lost ID cards are replaced as renewals: online if you are eligible, otherwise at an office.

For vehicle paperwork, see the Colorado vehicle registration and title guide, and for offices the Colorado DMV office list.

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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