FRANKFORT, Ky. — Gov. Andy Beshear, citing the need to help people stay healthy by avoiding crowds during flu season and the continuing novel coronavirus pandemic, today announced an extension of a special program for mail-in renewal of certain driver’s licenses.
“With flu season upon us and the COVID-19 pandemic still a threat across the Commonwealth, it’s more important than ever to stay healthy and avoid crowds as much as possible,” Gov. Beshear said.
Under a new Official Order from Transportation Secretary Jim Gray, the mail option was extended to licenses bearing an expiration date as late as Feb. 28, 2021, with all such renewals to be processed by March 31, 2021. Up to now, the cutoff has been a Sept. 30, 2020 expiration date.
“I’m pleased that Governor Beshear’s administration has extended the mail-in option to Feb. 28, 2021, for those who are eligible to renew their driver’s license remotely,” Chief Justice of Kentucky John D. Minton Jr. said. “This will continue to reduce in-person contact during the pandemic while still offering essential driver’s license services.”
The mail-in option applies to operator licenses, permits and state-issued identification cards that expired, or will expire, or were lost or stolen during the period of March 1, 2020, to Feb. 28, 2021. To be eligible, drivers must not require testing or retesting.
Those who qualify can apply for renewal or replacement remotely through the circuit court clerk in their county of residence. The lone exception is Fayette County, where all driver licensing functions – including mail-in renewal – have been transferred from the circuit court clerk to a new Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Regional Driver Licensing Office at 141 Leestown Center Way, Suite 125.
For residents of all other counties, check with the clerk as to preferred method, such as drop-off form or mail-in form. The forms can be downloaded here. Please note that there is one form for residents of Fayette, Franklin and Woodford counties and a different form for residents of all other counties.
Drivers are strongly encouraged to plan ahead and allow sufficient time for processing. Don’t wait until the expiration date. Also, be aware that a license can be renewed up to six months before its expiration date.
The mail-in option does not apply to holders of REAL ID-compliant licenses and ID cards, which must be renewed in person at a KYTC Regional Driver Licensing Office. Learn more at drive.ky.gov.
There now are 10 KYTC regional offices – Paducah, Madisonville, Elizabethtown, Frankfort, Lexington, Somerset, Morehead, Prestonsburg, Columbia and Jackson. There also are temporary offices, operating by appointment only and with limited services, in Bowling Green, Owensboro, Louisville, Florence and Catlettsburg. More regional offices will be opened around the commonwealth as conditions permit.