CT Driver's License Online Renewal Rolling Out: Lamont

CONNECTICUT — The Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles is rolling out online driver’s license renewal for Connecticut residents in a major step to make trips to the DMV less frequent.

The DMV launched a pilot program in November for online driver license renewal. So far 100,000 people have been eligible to renew online and around 20 percent have done so, Commissioner Sibongile Magubane said.

The proportion of people renewing online is expected to increase as the option becomes more publicized and the process becomes common knowledge, state Chief Operating Officer Josh Geballe said. Other online renewal states have around a 40 percent online renewal rate.

The online renewal system will roll out to more drivers on Feb. 15 and will include residents whose licenses start to expire on April 1. Eligible residents will receive an invitation via postal mail or email to complete the renewal process online. The license will then be mailed to the customer within 20 days.

Physical DMV locations and partners such as AAA will continue to offer renewal in person and the renewal cost is the same in person or online.

“The DMV’s accomplishments in announcing this new service are just one part of our broader efforts to be more accessible to our residents, and it became clearer how important that was during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Gov. Ned Lamont said in a statement. “The DMV rose to the occasion and moved forward quickly to launch online renewal and implement other services, including appointment scheduling, to make sure we not only kept our residents safe but continued our work to modernize state government.”

Any personal information changes will require a physical trip. As for now same photo can be used for up to eight years, Magubane said. The DMV will also roll out online change of address on Feb. 15.

The DMV moved to an appointment-only system during the pandemic to cut down on wait times. The average time at the DMV for customers is around 25 minutes thanks to the online appointment system, Magubane said.

Online processing will also help the state cut through a backlog of license renewals that were pushed off due to the pandemic.

Online license renewal processing will also help the state save money by cutting down on employee hours spent renewing licenses in person, Geballe said.

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The DMV’s upgrade is the latest step in Lamont’s quest to move Connecticut government into the 21st century and away from dreaded long lines and mounds of paper.

The state already allows vehicle registration renewal online, and it recently moved professional license renewal online through the Department of Consumer Protection. Connecticut also moved most of its business registration and other needs to a single online portal.

State departments are also in the process of moving to more efficient cloud-based systems instead of each department having its own siloed set of data, Geballe said.

For now the program doesn’t include commercial driver licenses or driver-only licenses for undocumented immigrants. There is a separate portal for commercial vehicle options for the trucking carrier industry.