Is your Hawaii driver’s license about to expire?
Do you not know the steps to renew it?
Then you’ve come to the right place.
Here, we’re going to give you a complete guide on the Hawaii driver’s license renewal requirements. We’ll wall you through ALL the steps for the different renewal channels.
We’ll also answer the frequently asked questions.
With this, you’ll know everything you need to know.
Unlike other states, Hawaii doesn’t send renewal notices for your license. So it’s up to you to know when your driver’s license is going to expire.
Another thing. Hawaii does not offer online renewal yet. You will have to renew through either mail or in person.
Renewing your HI driver’s license in an office might seem hassle. However, it’s super easy.
All you need to do is:
NOTE: Your name in all the documents should be the same. If not, you need to provide a document stating your name change (i.e marriage contract, divorce papers, etc).
| County: | Hawaii | Honolulu | Kauai | Maui |
| 1-year license: | $5 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2-year license: | $10 | $10 | $8 | $10 |
| 4-year license (for 24 years old and below): | $20 | $20 | $16 | $20 |
| 8-year license (for 25 years old to 71 years old): | $40 | $40 | $32 | $40 |
As simple as that!
Renewing your HI driver’s license by mail lets you skip the lines at a licensing office. However, there are more steps with this channel.
PLUS, you are only allowed to renew by mail if your license is not yet expired (a.k.a renewing 6 months before your license’s expiration date).
ALSO, you can only renew by mail for 2 consecutive years. After that, you have to renew your license in person.
Let’s go over the steps to renew by mail:
Department of Finance
Vehicle Registration and Licensing Division
Driver License Section
349 Kapiolani Street
Fax: (808) 961-8861
Department of Customer Services
Honolulu, HI 96820
Fax: (808) 768-3750
Department of Finance
Driver License Division
4444 Rice Street, Suite A480
Fax: (808) 241-6533
Division of Motor Vehicle and Licensing
70 E. Kaahumanu Avenue
Maui Mall, Suite A-17
Kahului, HI 96732
Fax: (808) 270-7858
| County: | Hawaii | Honolulu | Kauai | Maui |
| 1-year license: | $5 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2-year license: | $10 | $10 | $8 | $10 |
| 4-year license (for 24 years old and below): | $20 | $20 | $16 | $20 |
| 8-year license (for 25 years old to 71 years old): | $40 | $40 | $32 | $40 |
Sure, there are more steps with mail renewal, but more people prefer it to going to an office and waiting in line.
Now, let’s answer some of the most frequently asked questions about driver’s license renewal in Hawaii.
Unfortunately, you cannot renew your driver’s license online in Hawaii. You will have to renew it either in person or through the mail.
Your driver’s license expires anywhere from 1-8 years. This depends on the license fee you paid when you got your license.
For your specific expiration date, you can find it on your license card.
Fees vary from $5 to $40. The longer your license is, the higher the fee.
Take note that some counties will differ from others. You can refer to this table:
| County: | Hawaii | Honolulu | Kauai | Maui |
| 1-year license: | $5 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2-year license: | $10 | $10 | $8 | $10 |
| 4-year license (for 24 years old and below): | $20 | $20 | $16 | $20 |
| 8-year license (for 25 years old to 71 years old): | $40 | $40 | $32 | $40 |
You can start renewing your license 6 months before it expires. You can also renew it 90 days after the expiry date (also called the grace period).
That said, renewing your license 90 days beyond its expiration date incurs a penalty.
If you renew your license a year after it expires, you will be required to take both a written and road test. You have to do this in a DMV office.
In some offices, you need to make an appointment. So we recommend calling your licensing office first before renewing in person.
In general, it takes a month before you get mailed your renewed driver’s license. For Honolulu County, however, it can take up to two months.
If your new license is taking too long to arrive, you can contact your licensing office to follow up.
That was your complete guide to Hawaii driver’s license renewal.
If your HI driver’s license is about to expire, you now know what to do.
You can either renew it in-person for fewer steps but more waiting time (unless you schedule an appointment), or you can renew it by mail with more steps but no waiting time.
Unfortunately, Hawaii does not offer online renewal just yet.
So what are you waiting for?
Go and renew your Hawaii driver’s license today!
