You may renew your commercial driver's license (CDL) online, if eligible, or at any DMV customer service center as early as one year before the license expires.
Don’t worry. DMV will remind you to renew your CDL 90 days before it expires. You can choose to receive a renewal reminder by mail or electronically.
If you choose to receive your renewal reminder by mail, make sure that your current address is on file with DMV by logging in or creating an account. If your address has changed, please update it.
You may also renew your driver's license at any DMV mobile office. Check the calendar for visits in your area.
Make It a REAL ID
When you renew your CDL, consider upgrading it to a REAL ID-compliant CDL. Beginning May 7, 2025, the federal government will require you to show a REAL ID-compliant driver's license or identification card, or another federally approved form of ID, in order to board a domestic flight or enter most secure federal facilities.
Renewing your CDL is the perfect time to upgrade.
How to Renew a CDL
To renew a CDL, please present DMV with a completed Commercial Driver's License Application and documents proving your eligibility.
Before starting the renewal process, let’s make sure you have everything you need.
Did you…
- Complete the application?
- See if you’re eligible to renew online?
- Meet any identification and residency requirements?
- Meet any retesting requirements?
- Meet the medical certification requirements?
Online Renewal Eligibility
The easiest way to renew your CDL is online. Simply log in to DMV and click “Continue to transaction.”
The following individuals are not eligible to renew online:
- Limited Duration CDL Holders (individuals who are temporarily authorized to be in the United States)
- CDL holders with a Hazardous Materials Endorsement (X, H)
- CDL holders who have not provided acceptable proof of legal presence
- Individuals required to register with the Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry
- Individuals whose privilege to drive is suspended or revoked
- Individuals whose credential has been expired for over a year
- Individuals who meet any of the listed conditions
If you are required to visit a DMV customer service center to renew your commercial driver's license, you must also pass the vision screening and have a new photograph taken.
Proving Legal Presence
If you already have proof of legal presence on file with DMV, you are not required to show it.
If you do not have proof of legal presence on file with DMV and your CDL has expired or been suspended, or you hold a limited duration credential, you must present proof of legal presence to renew your CDL.
If you are a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident of the United States, you must present one of the following*:
- Valid, unexpired U.S. passport or passport card
- Official birth document issued by a U.S. state, jurisdiction or territory (birth documents issued by a hospital, notifications of birth registration, and foreign birth certificates are not accepted.)
- Consular Report of Birth Abroad (FS-240) issued by the U.S. Department of State
- Certificate of Birth Abroad (FS-545)
- Certification of Report of Birth of a U.S. Citizen (DS-1350)
- U.S. Certificate of Naturalization
- U.S. Certificate of Citizenship
- Unexpired permanent resident card (I-551)
*This requirement is waived if you have presented one of the above documents to DMV since January 1, 2004.
If you are not a U.S. citizen or a legal permanent resident of the United States, you must present one of the following to renew your CDL:
- Unexpired foreign passport with an approved I-94 from the most recent entry into the U.S.
- Unexpired Employment Authorization Document (EAD Form I-766) (not acceptable for upgrading to REAL ID)
Retaking Tests
If your CDL has been expired or downgraded for more than one year, you must retake the knowledge exam and the road skills test required for the type of CDL you held.
Medical Certification Requirements
All CDL holders must certify to one of four categories of commercial motor vehicle operation:
- Excepted interstate
- Excepted intrastate
- Non-Excepted interstate
- Non-Excepted intrastate
To learn about these categories and the medical certification requirements for each, please read the Medical Certification Requirements.
Hazardous Materials Endorsement
If you currently hold a hazardous materials endorsement (HME), you must retake the HME knowledge exam. If your HME is expiring within six months of your CDL’s expiration date, we encourage you to renew your endorsement at the time of your license renewal.
Applicants for a Hazardous Materials Endorsement (HAZMAT) must be fingerprinted for a background check. The non-refundable fee is $83 and the HME is valid for five years.
Applicants using a Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC®) comparability for a reduced HME fee do not have to be fingerprinted. The non-refundable fee is $41 and the background will be valid through your TWIC's expiration.
Renewal Fees
A renewed CDL costs the same as the original CDL. For example, renewing a CDL for eight years with no endorsements is $64. Endorsements cost an additional $1 per year.
See the DMV Fee Chart for more details.
Renewal Duration
Your renewed license will be valid for eight years and will expire on your birthday. If you are age 75 or older, your renewed license will be valid for five years.
Individuals required to register with the Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry will be issued CDLs valid for five years, and must renew their CDL in person at a DMV customer service center.