Can you renew an Illinois driving license when you stay outside of US ? I have a local Illinois mailing address and own a house which is rented out. I can come back and renew but not sure if I can/should ? I do need to drive in US every time I visit.
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Do you have a driver's license where you live? Are you moving back to Illinois permanently? Is your mail to your house forwarded to another address?– KarlsonJun 2, 2015 at 13:15
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1Then why would you need an Illinois driver's license since you can drive with your foreign one.– KarlsonJun 2, 2015 at 13:23
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1I am not sure when I am returning back. Don't want to go through another drivers test etc. Also easy to have a US license for identification purposes instead of carrying your US passport each time.– BobJun 2, 2015 at 13:25
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1Related: expatriates.stackexchange.com/questions/6267/…, expatriates.stackexchange.com/questions/172/…– KarlsonJun 2, 2015 at 19:22
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4Possible duplicate of How to renew a US driver's license when living abroad– user9879May 22, 2017 at 8:20
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1 Answer
IANAL
What you seem to want to do doesn't appear to be legal but I will let the courts decide whether it is or it is not and how to deal with the situation.
Having said that.
If your driver's license haven't expired you may be able to renew it receive the letter of renewal from the state of Illinois within 60-90 days of expiration:
The Secretary of State's office mails a renewal letter to driver's license holders 60 to 90 days prior to the expiration of your license. The letter is mailed to the address in the office's driving record file. The letter contains the information needed to renew your license. Testing requirements and fees vary depending on the type of license being renewed.
with that in mind you should have changed your address in Illinois or provided a separate mailing address if necessary within 10 days of the move but you may be able to do this at a Driving Center:
If you are required to take a drive exam, you must present proof of liability insurance on your vehicle.
- Acceptable identification is required.
- If your renewal letter says you are a Safe Driver, you have additional renewal options, including online renewal.
- By law, you must notify the Secretary of State's office of an address or name change within 10 days. You may submit an address change form electronically, but you must still visit a Driver Services Facility prior to expiration of your license. For a name change, you must provide identification with your new name and identification that links the old and new names. Drivers who hold a valid CDL must notify the Secretary of State's office of an address or name change within 10 days and must obtain a corrected driver's license within 30 days.
- Drivers under age 21 — licenses expire three months after their 21st birthday; drivers age 21 through 80 — licenses are valid for four years and expire on a driver's birthday; drivers age 81 through 86 — licenses are valid for two years; drivers age 87 and older must renew their licenses each year.
- Vision screening is required for all drivers renewing at a facility.
- All persons age 75 and older must take a driving exam.
- Everyone must take a written exam every eight years except those having no traffic convictions. If you have an accident recorded on your driving record, you may be required to take the written and/or road exams.
- You may renew up to one year before your four-year or two-year license expires, or six months before a one-year license expires.
- Illinois driver's licenses contain several security features.
You should also look at the list of acceptable identification to make sure that you have sufficient documentation.
But again what you're trying to do doesn't appear to be legal since you don't reside in the state even though you have a property there but probably don't report this as your residence in the state.
