Does the driving license automatically clear points upon expiration?
3 Answers
Points deducted from the driving license will be cleared as long as the fines for the points are paid in full. The clearance time is until 24:00 Beijing Time on the expiration date. As long as the points do not reach 12 within one scoring cycle and there are no records of unhandled violations (generally referring to C1), the previous points will be reset to 0 at the beginning of the next scoring cycle. The calculation method for the driving license scoring cycle is as follows: 1. Calculated from the day the driving license is initially obtained: Every 12 months is a cycle. According to the "Regulations on the Application and Use of Motor Vehicle Driving Licenses," Article 65, the cumulative scoring cycle for road traffic safety violations (i.e., the scoring cycle) is 12 months, with a full score of 12 points, calculated from the date the motor vehicle driving license is initially obtained; 2. Scoring values: Based on the severity of road traffic safety violations, the points for a single violation are divided into five types: 12 points, 6 points, 3 points, 2 points, and 1 point; 3. Article 66: For road traffic safety violations by motor vehicle drivers, penalties and points are executed simultaneously. If a motor vehicle driver has more than one violation to be scored at the same time, the points should be calculated separately and accumulated.
I've been driving for over a decade and renewed my driver's license twice, so I can responsibly tell you: Renewing an expired driver's license doesn't automatically clear penalty points. This depends on the scoring cycle, which runs for 12 months starting from the date you obtained your license. For example, if you got your license on May 1st, the cycle ends on April 30th next year. As long as you pay all traffic violation fines before the cycle ends, the system will automatically clear the points. However, license renewal is different—it mainly updates your photo and validity period, having nothing to do with clearing penalty points. Once after renewal, I noticed that 6 points from a speeding violation in the previous cycle were still there, so I had to handle it promptly to get them cleared. It's important to pay attention to these timing details when driving.
Clearing demerit points and renewing a driver's license are two separate matters. As a driver, I've specifically studied the regulations - point clearance only depends on the scoring cycle. Each cycle is fixed at 365 days, starting from the date of initial license issuance. Two conditions must be met: the cycle must end + all fines must be paid. Renewal simply means getting a new document at the DMV - the system won't clear your points just because you got a new license. In practice, many people confuse these, especially those who borrowed friends' cars and got penalized, thinking records automatically reset upon expiration, only to have their licenses suspended for exceeding points. I recommend setting a license issuance date reminder on your phone for reliability.
