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CHICAGO - Illinois driver's licenses and ID cards will remain valid until next year after the state announced a new five month extension on Monday.
Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White announced the five-month extension, from Aug. 1, 2021, to Jan. 1, 2022, which includes cards that were set to expire between July and December of 2021.
"Extending expiration dates until January 1, 2022, means people with an expired driver’s license or ID card do not need to rush into a Driver Services facility immediately," said White. "During hot weather, I would suggest residents consider delaying visits to Driver Services facilities."
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"But if you must visit a facility, please come prepared to wait outside due to continued social distancing efforts, which limits the number of people inside a facility at one time. We are allowing more people in the facilities at one time due to relaxed protocols."
Illinois Driver's License (Illinois Secretary of State)
The extension does not apply to commercial driver's licenses (CDL) or CDL learner's permits.
Illinois license expiration dates have been pushed back several times since spring of 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down driver services facilities.
White urged Illinois residents to use online services due to heavy customer volume at drivers facilities. Transactions such as purchasing license plate stickers, obtaining duplicate driver's licenses or ID cards, and renewing driver's licenses and ID cards including Real ID's can be done at CyberDriveIllinois.com.
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The U.S. Department of Homeland Security previously extended the federal Real ID deadline to May 3, 2023.