License Renewal

The primary purpose of a Driver’s license is to establish the holder of that license has the minimum skills required to safely operate a motor vehicle. Many entities have decided that this driving document can be accepted as proof of ID. The department does not have any authority to mandate that other entities accept our driving documents as proof of ID. 

Note that Vermont is Real ID compliant. The Vermont Driver Privilege Card is Not Real ID compliant.  See more on Real ID here. 

Yes, the Vermont EDL & EID are designated as acceptable border-crossing documents by DHS under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI). Vermont EDL & EID are acceptable for official Federal purposes (i.e., boarding a commercial aircraft, accessing a federal facility, or entering a nuclear power plant).

A Vermont license which is NOT Real ID compliant will be labeled as a "Driver's Privilege Card." The Privilege Card is available to anyone that is a Vermont Resident and a U.S. Citizen, U.S. National or Permanent Resident Alien or, an Undocumented Immigrant in the United States

If your name is different than the one shown on your birth certificate or other document used to establish identity and date of birth, you must provide certified copies of the legal documents that connect the name on the document used to establish identity and date of birth to your current name. The following documents are acceptable.

Court-ordered name change.
This includes:

• Orders under petition for name change.
• Orders for name change in a divorce decree or decree of annulment.
• Orders for name change in a decree of adoption.

The court order must contain your prior full legal name, your court-ordered full legal name and your date of birth. It must be a certified copy and have the stamp or raised seal of the issuing court.

Marriage certificate.
The marriage certificate must be issued by a state office of vital statistics or equivalent agency in the state or country where you were married, and must be a certified copy with a stamp or raised seal of the issuing authority. A church, chapel, or similarly issued certificate is not acceptable.

In all cases, the documents must connect the name shown on your birth certificate or other document used to establish identity and date of birth to your current name. You do not have to document a complete listing of all the names you may have previously used, as long as the documents you provide clearly connect the two.

Your card will read “limited term” and the expiration date will coincide with the expiration of valid legal status obtained from documentation provided. If your lawful stay has no defined end or expiration date, you will have the option of choosing a 2 or 4 year card.

No. The Driver's License or ID card remains fully valid for all purposes normally associated with a Driver's License or ID card in the form issued.

A Driver's License or ID card marked “limited term” merely signifies that it is issued to a person who is a foreign national with temporary lawful status in the United States and has a shorter term than a regular Driver's License or ID card.

Yes, we accept Visa, MasterCard & Discover

Vermont law requires that an individual who has been issued: 1) a Vermont driver license, driver permit, non-driver identification card, and/or 2) a Vermont vehicle/motorboat/snowmobile registration, to notify the Vermont DMV of any change in name and/or address within 30 days of the date of the change. The DMV mails any correspondence (such as license renewal notices, vehicle registrations, etc.) to whatever address we have on our computer records for an individual. The information we have on our computer records reflects the most recent information you have supplied to us. If you neglect to notify this Department of any changes you will not receive any materials that we may mail you. 

If you live in another state it is possible for you to take an alcohol treatment program in that state. It is very important that you contact Vermont's Project CRASH at (802) 651-1574 prior to enrolling in a program outside of Vermont. Not all alcohol treatment programs are accepted and you must make sure that you participate in an acceptable program.

An Ignition Interlock Device Restricted License, referred to as an "RDL", allows you to drive non-commercial vehicles equipped with an ignition interlock device, while your regular license is suspended or revoked for an alcohol-related driving under the influence offense.  You are granted a conditional reinstatement ahead of your normal eligibility date if you participate in the Ignition Interlock Program.  If granted an RDL, you must adhere to all of the terms and requirements associated with an RDL; failing to do so will result in an extension of your IID requirements.  For more information regarding RDL's click here.   

Notices of suspension are mailed to your address as it appears on our computer system at the time that the suspension is issued. If you have moved and have not notified this Department of your new address (as required by law) you may not receive your written notice of suspension.

Once a suspension for failure to pay a fine on a ticket or a citation goes into effect you must meet all requirements for reinstatement. In addition to paying your fine to the court you must pay a reinstatement fee to the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles. If you have paid your fine but have not paid your reinstatement fee you cannot be reinstated. There is no statute of limitations on driver suspensions ...they remain in effect until all requirements have been met and this Department has issued a notice of reinstatement.

The Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles does not accept payments for fines. These must be paid directly to the appropriate court.

Vermont law requires that anyone suspended for an alcohol-related offense must complete an alcohol treatment program. The courts generally try to make you aware of this requirement at the time of your hearing, but if even if they fail to tell you about it you must meet this requirement.

In Vermont there is no statute of limitations on driver suspensions. All driver suspensions remain on an individual's record and in effect until the individual has complied with all requirements related to the suspension and a reinstatement has been issued.

On or around April 1, 1996 the federal government required that all states participate in a program that prevents individuals who have had a suspension issued to them in one state (or more than one state) from obtaining a license in another state. A nationwide computer system now tracks all drivers (or potential drivers) to prevent the issuance of a license to a suspended person.

The Vermont legislature passed a law that became effective on April 29, 1998 making it mandatory for an individual to file Financial Responsibility Insurance for all criminal alcohol-related offenses. In 2000 the Vermont legislature passed a law that became effective on July 1, 2000 making it mandatory for an individual to file Financial Responsibility Insurance for a civil alcohol-related offenses.

Effective December 1, 1989 the Vermont legislature passed a law that provided a means for a law enforcement officer to issue a Notice of Intent to Suspend, which is considered a Civil (alcohol-related) suspension, to be issued to an offender. This law also permits criminal (alcohol-related) charges to be filed against the offender. As a result, an individual can be suspended both civilly and criminally for the same incident. The Notice of Intent to Suspend was supposed to ease the burden of cases in the Vermont court system as well as providing a means of issuance of a suspension in a more timely manner. An individual who has been charged under this law has a choice of either requesting a hearing on the civil charge or having the suspension go into effect on the date noted on the Notice of Intent to Suspend. If the individual requests a hearing on the civil charge it is generally held in the Vermont District Court at the same time as the hearing for the criminal charge. As they are actually two different charges under two different sections of the law it is possible to have only one of the two charges dismissed ...but both charges must be addressed. If you are suspended for both the civil and the criminal charges the suspensions run concurrently (at the same time). For example, if you were suspended for 90 days for the civil charge and 90 days for the criminal charge the suspensions would either happen at the same time, or, (if one suspension started before the other one) you would be given credit for the time served for the first suspension issued and that time would be deducted from the amount of suspension time to be served for the second suspension issued. See 23 V.S.A., Chapter 13, Subchapter XIII: Drunken Driving in Vermont law.

No, the reinstatement fee is not required if the only suspension on your record is for insurance purposes.

Mail your reinstatement fee to: Vermont DMV, 120 State Street, Montpelier, VT 05603-0001 (to the attention of: Driver Improvement), together with a paper stating that you are paying your reinstatement fee and providing your full name, your date of birth and your current mailing address. DO NOT SEND CASH.

See the DMV Records Request information.

On or around April 1, 1996 the federal government required that all states participate in a program that prevents individuals who have had a suspension issued to them in one state (or more than one state) from obtaining a license in another state. A nationwide computer system now tracks all drivers (or potential drivers) to prevent the issuance of a license to a suspended person.

You can pay your reinstatement fee online, or at our main office in Montpelier, or mail your reinstatement fee to: Vermont DMV, 120 State Street, Montpelier, VT 05603-0001 (to the attention of: Driver Improvement), together with a paper stating that you are paying your reinstatement fee and providing your full name, your date of birth and your current mailing address. DO NOT MAIL CASH.

To obtain a Vermont license bring your current license, proof of identity, DOB & SSN and proof of Vermont residency to a DMV office.

Complete the Duplicate/Corrected License Form (VL-040) and submit it to the DMV together with any appropriate fees. If you are applying for a duplicate license/permit in person you must also be prepared to provide a minimum of two forms of identification (one "primary" document and one "secondary" document).