Statehouse News Bureau

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Pandemic Grace Period For Ohio Drivers' License And Registration Renewal Expires Soon

By Jo Ingles

Published June 25, 2021 at 8:45 PM EDT

Ohioans who needed to renew their drivers’ licenses or vehicle registrations during the pandemic have had a grace period for the past year. But it expires soon.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said Ohioans with expired documents need to renew their drivers’ licenses, state IDs and vehicle registrations by July 1 – no exceptions.

“According to the BMV, there are around 100,000 drivers licenses and 221,000 vehicle registration that expired during the time period and these individuals, as of this date, have yet to renew, so we urge them to renew," DeWine said. "We also urge them not to wait until July 1 because there will be a big rush."

In many cases, vehicle registrations can be handled online. For license renewal, drivers should be able to check in at a local BMV online and hold a place to avoid waiting in long lines in person.

For more information on handling transactions online, go to BMV.ohio.gov