How Long After a Driver's License is Locked Will it be Revoked?
3 Answers
If a driver's license remains locked for over 2 years, it will be permanently revoked. Below is partial information regarding driver's license revocation circumstances: 1. Physical reasons: If the driver becomes physically unfit to operate a motor vehicle or has passed away, the license will be revoked. 2. Loss of civil capacity: If the license holder loses civil capacity and their guardian submits a revocation request. 3. Failure to renew: Not renewing the driver's license for over one year after its expiration date will result in revocation. 4. Age 60 or above: For drivers aged 60 or above, or those holding licenses for large buses, tractors, city buses, medium-sized buses, large trucks, trolleybuses, or tram vehicles - failure to submit a physical condition certificate within one year after the end of a scoring cycle.
Don’t panic if your driver’s license is locked. Last time I heard from a friend at the DMV, the lock period isn’t as strict as you might think. In fact, regulations allow ample time for remediation. The most critical period to remember is three years after the lock—as long as you resolve the issue (e.g., submitting a medical report or paying fines) within those three years, you can reactivate it. If left unattended, the system will automatically revoke the license at midnight on the third anniversary. A common scenario is the medical exam lock—many middle-aged people forget their checkups and get locked out. Just complete the exam at a designated hospital, and the license can be unlocked the same day. The DMV usually won’t notify you about such locks, so check your status on the 12123 traffic management app yourself.
Ah, I know this issue very well! A locked driver's license is not immediately revoked; it mainly depends on the reason for the lock. Generally, there are two scenarios: one is being locked due to unpaid fines, which will automatically unlock once the fines are paid. The other, more common scenario is being locked by the system for not undergoing a medical examination on time, which particularly affects middle-aged and elderly people. According to the Implementation Regulations of the Road Traffic Safety Law, if the lock remains unresolved for a full three years, the system will forcibly revoke the license. Note that these three years are counted from the day the system marks the license as locked, not the day you discover the lock. If revoked, you'll have to retake the exams starting from the written test, which is particularly troublesome.
