Arizona is the state with the longest driver’s license expiration in the country. A standard Arizona license issued to someone under 60 stays valid until that driver’s 65th birthday, so a 16-year-old who passes the road test can hold the same license for close to 50 years before a full renewal comes due.1Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 28-3171 – Driver License Expiration and Renewal; Exception; Extension No other state comes close.
How Arizona’s Until-65 License Works
Arizona ties expiration to a birthday rather than a fixed number of years. Get your first license before 60, and it runs until you turn 65. If you’re already 60 or older when you apply, the license is good for up to five years, and renewals after that happen on a five-year cycle.1Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 28-3171 – Driver License Expiration and Renewal; Exception; Extension
The long expiration doesn’t mean you avoid the license office entirely. Arizona requires every driver to come in every 12 years for a new photograph and an updated card.2Department of Transportation. When Will I Need to Update My Photo Vision is rechecked during that visit. So the license itself keeps running, but the photo and the eye test don’t.
One narrower rule in the statute: if you apply for an extension while you’re out of state, Arizona doesn’t require an eyesight examination for that extension. That’s separate from the regular in-person photo visits, where vision screening still happens.1Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 28-3171 – Driver License Expiration and Renewal; Exception; Extension
How Other States Compare
After Arizona, the drop is steep. Montana is next, issuing licenses valid for 12 years or until the driver’s 75th birthday, whichever comes first.3IIHS. Older Drivers: License Renewal Procedures
Roughly 20 states issue licenses good for eight years. Texas, Virginia, New York, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, Oregon, and Hawaii are among them. A handful of states let the driver pick the term: Mississippi, Idaho, Kentucky, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Ohio, and Washington all offer either a four-year or an eight-year license. Some drivers choose the shorter one to keep a more current photo on file or to spread renewal fees out.3IIHS. Older Drivers: License Renewal Procedures
Most of the remaining states renew every four to six years. You’ll sometimes see claims online that certain states issue a standard 10-year license. No state statute currently backs that up.
Age Changes the Picture Everywhere
More than half the states shorten the renewal cycle once a driver reaches a certain age, usually 65 or 70. The reasoning is practical: vision and reaction time change, and more frequent renewals create a chance to catch problems.4National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In-Person Renewal and Vision Test
The thresholds vary a lot:
- Arizona switches to five-year renewals at 60.
- Virginia goes to five-year renewals at 75.
- Montana shortens to four years at 75.
- Indiana uses three years from 75 to 84, then two years at 85.
- Hawaii drops to two years at 72.
- Texas drops to two years at 85.
- Illinois steps down the most: four years from 69 to 80, two years from 81 to 86, and one year at 87 and older. Starting July 1, 2027, Illinois drivers 87 and older will also have to demonstrate driving ability to renew.3IIHS. Older Drivers: License Renewal Procedures
Some states also layer on vision exams, written tests, or road tests at these age thresholds. The long expiration printed on your card is only part of the story if you’re approaching one of them.
A Long Expiration Doesn’t Mean You Can Skip the DMV
Two things pull drivers back into a licensing office well before the card expires.
The first is REAL ID. As of May 7, 2025, a standard driver’s license that isn’t REAL ID compliant is no longer accepted for boarding domestic flights. Showing up at a TSA checkpoint with a non-compliant license and no passport means you don’t get through security. Beginning February 1, 2026, a traveler in that spot can pay $45 for TSA’s ConfirmID service, which tries to verify identity electronically, with no guarantee it works.5Transportation Security Administration. Acceptable Identification at the TSA Checkpoint Upgrading to a REAL ID can’t be done online. You have to appear in person with proof of citizenship or legal presence, your Social Security number, and two documents proving your current address. An Arizona driver whose license doesn’t expire for 30 more years may still want to make the trip before the next flight.
The second is moving. When you move to a new state, you typically have 30 to 90 days to get a license there. Your old card is valid for driving during that window. The surprise for anyone leaving Arizona: transferring resets the expiration clock. A license with decades left becomes an eight-year license (or whatever the new state offers) the moment you surrender the Arizona card. The old expiration date no longer applies.
Most states waive the road test for drivers transferring in with a valid license, though some require a written knowledge test and a vision screening. A suspended or revoked license has to be cleared up in the old state first.
If You Let It Expire
Driving on an expired license is illegal in every state. The penalty ranges from a minor traffic infraction to a misdemeanor depending on how long it’s been expired and where you are. Fines for a recently expired license are usually modest.
The larger risk is insurance. Your auto policy isn’t automatically canceled when your license expires, but your insurer can deny a claim for an accident that happened while you were driving illegally. Many policies exclude losses connected to unlawful activity, and driving without a valid license qualifies. Even without an outright denial, the coverage dispute can delay a payout. A citation for driving on an expired license also goes on your record and can push premiums up at renewal.
Most states offer a grace period for renewing after expiration, from 30 days up to a year, during which you can renew without retaking the written or road test. The grace period covers the paperwork, not your right to drive. Get the license renewed before you get back behind the wheel.