Ohio’s grace period to renew an expired driver’s license or registration extended to July 2021

By Chris Anderson | November 24, 2020 at 10:22 AM EST - Updated November 24 at 12:33 PM

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - The grace period enacted for Ohio drivers with an expired license or outdated registration during the coronavirus pandemic has been extended to July 2021.

The Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles announced in the early months of 2020 that 181 locations, with the exception of five, in the state would temporarily close amid the coronavirus pandemic. Gov. Mike DeWine then signed House Bill 197 in late March, initially permitting the deadline to renew a driver’s license, identification card, or vehicle registration that expired on or after March 9 to be automatically extended until Dec. 1.

With the pandemic ongoing, the Ohio BMV said Gov. DeWine recently signed House Bill 404 into law, which now extends the deadline for several critical services, including the grace period for renewals.

If the expiration date on a resident’s license, ID, or registration is between March 9, 2020 and April 1, 2021, the expiration date has been automatically extended until July 1, 2021.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has signed Ohio House Bill 404, which extends the expiration date...
Posted by Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles on Tuesday, November 24, 2020

The purpose of extending the deadline is to limit the length of lines and congregating at BMV locations across Ohio and cut down the chance for customers to be exposed to COVID-19.

[Know before you go: What to bring for federally-compliant or standard credentials for Ohio BMV services]

Those who need to renew their materials should consider doing so online.