Renewal for Individuals Temporarily Located Out of the State of Georgia

Renewal by mail is offered for certain groups of individuals who must be away from the State of Georgia at the time renewal of their license is required. Supporting documentation, a completed application and payment of fee (if required) must be submitted to verify that the applicant is eligible to renew in this manner. This service is available to the following groups:

• Customers stationed out of state on active military duty, their spouse and any dependents living with them;
• Full-time students attending school outside Georgia, their spouse and any dependents living with them;
• Customers who are physically incapacitated and unable to visit a DDS Customer Service Center may be issued an ID Card only.

This service is subject to the following restrictions:

• The renewal will be granted for an 8-year renewal period, at the end of which the license holder must appear in person for renewal;
• A driver’s license that has been expired for two (2) or more years cannot be renewed by mail;
• Changes (name, address, etc.) must be made in person at a DDS Customer Service Center. Changes cannot be made using the mail method of renewal.

Customers who choose to renew their license in this manner will not receive a Secure DL/ID. To download the application package and complete instructions, please visit our website at dds.georgia.gov.

License, Permit, or Identification Card Number Changes

No licenses or identification cards may be issued in Georgia with a Social Security Number as the document number. If your license, permit or identification card number is identical to your Social Security Number, a randomly generated document number will be assigned to your document during the issuance/renewal process. Once your number has changed, you will need to ensure that any companies or entities using your driver’s license, permit, or identification card number for tracking or verification purposes, such as insurance companies, are aware of this change.

Lost or Stolen License Replacement

Customers may apply for a replacement driver’s license and/or ID card at a local DDS Customer Service Center or online. If you choose to apply online, you will go through an authentication process in order to verify identity. If you wish to apply at a DDS Customer Service Center, you will be required to show proof of identity. The fee online and at a DDS Customer Service Center is $5.00.

The following documents will be acceptable proof of identity for a replacement Georgia driver’s license, permit or identification card:

ONE of these documents:

• Original Birth Certificate (hospital certificates are not acceptable);
• Certified Copy of Birth Certificate with raised or impressed seal;
• Certificate of Naturalization or Certificate of Citizenship;
• Expired Georgia Driver’s License, Permit or Identification Card;
• U.S. Passport or Passport Card that is valid or expired less than 10 years;
• Consular Report of Birth Abroad;
• Expired Georgia Interim;
• Non U.S. Citizens
  • Valid foreign passport with valid I-94;
  • Valid permanent resident card (I-551);
  • Valid employment authorization card (I-766 or I-688A or I-688B) with proof of pending application to adjust status;

or TWO of these documents (only if replacing license, permit, or ID card):

• Social Security Card (original or copy);
• Original or Certified Copy of Marriage Certificate;
• Previous Year’s Income Tax Return or W2;
• Current Auto, Home, Life or Health Insurance Policy (Cards Not Accepted);
• Current Auto Registration Receipt;
• Voter Registration Card;
• Valid or Expired Military ID Card and/or Military Orders;
• Valid Georgia Gun Permit.

If your license was stolen and you wish to change the number on your replacement Georgia driver’s license, permit or identification card, you will be required to present a police report indicating that the license was stolen unless your license number and your Social Security Number are the same. If the two numbers are the same, no police report is required.

Address Change

• You must update your record with DDS anytime your address changes. DDS correspondence will not be forwarded to new addresses by the U.S. Postal Service.
• If you have moved, you must visit a DDS Customer Service Center within 60 days to update your mailing and/or residential address, or you may visit our website at dds.georgia.gov to change your address. If you change your address in person, you must provide proof of the change in address. If you change your address online, your new address will be verified through USPS.

Name Change

• Name changes must be completed in person at a DDS Customer Service Center;
• If you change your name by marriage or other legal action, you must obtain a new license showing the correct name within 60 days. A free replacement license valid for the current term will be issued once in a license term;
• In order to change your name on your license or identification card, you must present a certified copy of a marriage license application (if the marriage occurred in Georgia), marriage license, state-issued marriage certificate, or court-ordered name change;
• You may change to a hyphenated surname on your license or identification card if the marriage occurred in the State of Georgia on or after November 1, 1982. A certified copy of the marriage license application reflecting the selection of the hyphenated surname must be presented at the time of the request.

Motor Vehicle Reports (MVR)

MVRs are available in 3-year, 7-year, or lifetime formats. A 3 year report is $6.00; a 7 year report is $8.00. A lifetime report is $8.00. Individuals may obtain a copy of their MVR in any of the following ways:

1. Via Internet A non-certified copy of your Motor Vehicle Report (MVR) can be downloaded by using DDS Online Services. Please visit dds.georgia.gov for further details. You will be required to create an account if you have not already done so.
2. In PersonA certified copy of your Motor Vehicle Report (MVR) can be purchased in person at any DDS Customer Service Center. Proper identification will be required.If obtaining a motor vehicle report other than your own, the following is required:
   • Completion of the Request for MVR form (DDS-18) from the licensee naming the person authorized to receive the record, including the full name, date of birth, and Georgia driver’s license number of the licensee;
   • The person receiving the report for another individual must also show proper identification.
3. Via Mail

You can obtain a certified copy of your MVR by submitting the Request for MVR form (DDS-18) OR a letter requesting either a 3-year, 7-year, or lifetime MVR, including the following:

• Your full name as it appears on your driver’s license;
• Driver’s license number;
• Date of birth; and
• Complete mailing address.

Requests may be mailed to: Georgia Department of Driver Services, MVR Request, Post Office Box 80447, Conyers, Georgia 30013. When requesting a MVR, please include a money order, cashier’s check, or personal check made payable to the Department of Driver Services in the amount of $6.00 for a 3-year or $8.00 for a 7-year or lifetime MVR.

Selective Service Registration

At the time of any license or identification card transaction, DDS is required to ask males age 18 whether they have registered with the U.S. Selective Service System and to report the responses to the U.S. Selective Service System.

Blindness Donation

When you obtain your driver’s license, permit, or ID, you will have the opportunity to make a voluntary donation of $1 to Georgia’s Blindness Education, Screening, and Treatment Program, which is administered by the Georgia Department of Public Health. Donations currently fund vision programs which provide screenings to save children’s vision, eye exams for needy adults, training for people who have lost vision, and public education about eye donation. Your voluntary donation will be added to the total cost of your service.

Organ and Tissue Donation

The Donate Life Georgia Organ, Tissue and Eye Donor Registry was created in 2008 to allow Georgians an easy and user-friendly means of joining the state’s donor registry. Georgians can join the registry through the website at www.donatelifegeorgia.org, when renewing their driver license or ID online, or when obtaining/renewing their license or ID at a local DDS Customer Service Center. You can also join the Donor Registry by calling Donate Life Georgia directly at 1-866-57-SHARE (1-866-577-4273) and requesting a donor registry form.

Other things to remember:

• Organ donation can occur only after every measure has been taken to save your life, and only after death has been legally and medically declared;
• Georgia law prohibits the physician who declares a patient dead from participating in the removal or transplantation of that patient’s donated organs or tissues;
• There is no cost to the donor’s family for any expenses related to organ tissue/eye donation. Also, there is no delay in funeral arrangements;
• Georgia law requires hospitals to notify an organ/tissue/eye recovery center when a donation is possible;
• Recipients are selected by urgency of need, compatibility of blood type, body size, and tissue type, regardless of sex, race or creed.

More information concerning organ and tissue donation can be found at www.organdonor.gov.

GSFA Donation

DDS offers the opportunity to make a voluntary charitable contribution of $1, $5, or $10 to the Georgia Student Finance Authority (GSFA) during the license issuance or renewal process. Pursuant to HB 54 (2016), this donation will help to provide financial assistance toward the postsecondary educational costs of the children of law enforcement officers, firefighters, paramedics, emergency medical technicians, and prison guards employed by the state or other public employer who were permanently disabled or killed in the line of duty. The children of Highway Emergency Response Operators who were permanently disabled or killed in the line of duty are also included.

Voter Registration

Customers who are U.S. citizens at least 17½ years old will have an opportunity to apply for voter registration during any license or identification card transaction. When this option is selected, the application is submitted to the voter registration office in the customer’s county of residence.

Important points regarding voter registration through DDS:

• If you do not receive your voter registration card within 30 days, contact your county voter registration office to determine the status of your application;
• Choosing this option does not guarantee that your voter registration information will be processed in time to meet specific election deadlines;

If you want to register to vote for a particular election, please contact your county voter registration office to ensure that your most current registration information is recorded prior to the applicable voter registration deadline. Visit http://sos.ga.gov/index.php/elections for more information.