Does the validity period change when replacing a lost driver's license?
4 Answers
The validity period does not change when replacing a lost driver's license. For a C1 driver's license, the newly replaced license will have the same validity period as the original one. The validity period will only change if you apply for a license renewal at the same time as replacing the lost license. More relevant information is as follows: 1. According to Article 10 of the 'Regulations on the Application and Use of Motor Vehicle Driver's Licenses': The validity period of a motor vehicle driver's license is divided into six years, ten years, and long-term. 2. According to Article 47 of the 'Regulations on the Application and Use of Motor Vehicle Driver's Licenses': If a motor vehicle driver has not accumulated 12 penalty points in any scoring cycle during the six-year validity period of the driver's license, they can be issued a ten-year validity driver's license; if they have not accumulated 12 penalty points in any scoring cycle during the ten-year validity period, they can be issued a long-term valid driver's license.
I once lost my driver's license too and made a special trip to the DMV to clarify. The validity period of a replacement license doesn't change—it's completely calculated based on the original license's expiration date. The only exception is if your license was about to expire anyway, and you applied for renewal while getting a replacement—that's when the validity period gets updated. In my case, the old license still had two years left, and the replacement showed the same remaining two years. The staff explained this is simply replacing the physical document, with all information carried over from the original. However, if during replacement they notice your license is within three months of expiration, they'll proactively ask if you want to renew it directly. Everyone should remember to keep their license safe—getting a replacement involves photos and fees which can be troublesome, and more importantly, driving without carrying your license could lead to point deductions.
Last year when I was replacing my driver's license, I also worried about this issue and specifically consulted the traffic police department. They said that license replacement and renewal are two different things. Replacement just means reissuing the card and won't affect the validity period. The new replacement license will maintain the same expiration date as the original one. However, you can take the opportunity to renew your license during the replacement process, provided that your current license has less than 90 days of validity remaining. My cousin was in this situation at the time and managed to get both replacement and renewal done in one go. The new license's validity period was directly recalculated for ten years from the renewal date. Remember to bring your original ID card and photos for the procedure. The whole process takes about half an hour, much easier than retaking the driving test.
I've helped a friend with this issue three times. Replacing a driver's license doesn't change its expiration date at all—the new card has exactly the same date as the old one. The DMV system already records your initial license issuance date, and a replacement just means printing a new card. The expiration date only gets updated when you renew an expired license or upgrade your permitted vehicle class. My friend only realized after getting the replacement that his license was expiring in two months, forcing him to make another trip for renewal. My advice: when applying for a replacement, always ask about the expiration date. If there's less than six months left, it's more convenient to just apply for a renewal directly. Nowadays, you can handle all this on the Traffic Management 12123 App without needing to visit a service window.
