Why you might have issues renewing your Ohio driver license online
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- In 2022, Ohio launched an online service to renew your driver's license. With the system in place for a little less than a year, those that don't want to renew in-person will be going online for the first time.
“Since 2021, more than 2 million visits to the BMV have been avoided because of innovative online solutions led through this administration,” Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said. “With every service that becomes available on the website, InnovateOhio is chipping away at any reason why Ohioans might have to go into the BMV. We have moved services online, so you never have to stand in line."
For those looking to renew for the first time, here is a step-by-step guide on how to go through this process with tips to speed up the procedure. A technical glitch is creating some issues for those creating accounts to begin renewing their license.
First, click the link here to the Ohio's Bureau of Motor Vehicles website.
1. On the homepage, click on the box that says "DL/ID Renewal" to begin the process of renewing your driver's license.
2. To renew your license, you are required to have an OH|ID account. While you are able to renew your car registration or replace a license plate using a guest log-in, you cannot renew your driver's license without an OH|ID account.
3. Log in or create an OH|ID account
- Note: NBC4 encountered issues logging in to the BMV's online services after creating an OH|ID. On May 3, the log-in page showed a warning at the top indicating new accounts are unable to log in immediately after creation. There is no timetable for when this issue will be fixed.
4. Once you are logged in to the Ohio BMV's online services, you will be asked to verify your identity. If your address has changed and would like to have your license mailed to a new address, you can change your permanent or mailing address on the BMV's website.
5. After your identity is verified, you can select the option to request a new license by filling out a questionnaire.
6. Once you've completed the questionnaire, you will be asked to upload a picture of your current driver's license to the website. Photos uploaded to the website can be no larger than five megabytes (5 MB).
- Pictures taken on a smartphone are likely to be higher than 5 MB. To lower the file size, email the photos to yourself at a lower resolution. Then on your computer, save the files as a PNG/JPEG image with the title of the file containing ".png" or ".jpeg" at the end.
7. After completing all those steps, you will be taken to a page to checkout. A verification email will be sent notifying you the transaction has come through and that your license is on the way. The timeframe to receive your license is 28 days and the BMV will send you a link to track the status of your new license.