Do I Need to Go in Person for Driver's License Renewal?
2 Answers
Driver's license renewal requires the applicant to go in person. The motor vehicle driver should apply for renewal at the vehicle management office of the driver's license issuing authority within 90 days before the expiration of the current license. When applying, the "Motor Vehicle Driver's License Application Form" must be filled out. Other methods for renewing a driver's license are as follows: Renewal via the "Traffic Management 12123" APP. Download the "Traffic Management 12123" APP, then select Service Center -- Expiration Renewal Service -- Fill in the required information. The new license is generally delivered by mail. Visit the "Police-Medical-Post" service point at a postal office for renewal processing. The entire process, from registration to medical examination and new license production, takes only half an hour. Currently, this service is available in only a few cities, such as Hangzhou. Renewal and inspection must meet the following conditions: Holders of large passenger vehicle, tractor, city bus, medium passenger vehicle, or large truck licenses must have no demerit points in the current scoring cycle, or holders of other license types must have fewer than 12 demerit points in the current scoring cycle; Holders of large passenger vehicle, tractor, city bus, medium passenger vehicle, or large truck licenses with demerit points in the current scoring cycle, as well as holders of other license types involved in a traffic accident resulting in death with equal or greater responsibility without having their license revoked, must have completed the inspection education; The applicant must have no outstanding road traffic safety violations or traffic accidents; The applicant's physical condition must meet the driving license requirements; The motor vehicle driver's license must not be under legal seizure, detention, suspension, revocation, cancellation, or annulment.
I just renewed my driver's license a couple of days ago, and it must be done in person, mainly for photo-taking and physical examination, both of which require on-site processing. For the photo, you need to wear dark-colored clothes against a white wall background, and the vehicle management office has specialized equipment. The physical examination must also be done in person, checking vision and color blindness—it takes just a minute, but the machine can only recognize the actual holder. Bring three essential items: original ID card, the soon-to-expire old driver's license, and a physical examination report (which can be done next to the vehicle management office). Even filling out the application form online requires facial recognition, so even if you ask relatives or friends to handle it for you, you still need to personally issue a power of attorney and provide a fingerprint. Some cities have implemented "Police-Medical-Post" service points, which are half on-site processing, but you still need to show up in person. If you need to renew your license in a different location, identity verification is even more stringent—there's no way around it. It's advisable to make an appointment in advance on the traffic management APP to avoid a wasted trip.
