How many years without review will a C1 driver's license be invalidated?
3 Answers
C1 driver's license does not require annual review, just renewal upon expiration. It will not be revoked if not reviewed for 3 years. Here are the specific details: 1. Validity period: The validity period of a driver's license is divided into 6 years, 10 years, and long-term. 2. Renewal: The first validity period is 6 years. If there is no record of 12 points being deducted within 6 years, you can renew it for a 10-year validity period. If there is no record of 12 points being deducted within 10 years, you can renew it for a long-term valid driver's license. 3. Handling of overdue renewal: If the renewal is overdue for less than a year, you can renew it normally; if it is overdue for more than a year, the driver's license will be canceled, but if the cancellation is less than two years, you can restore it by passing the subject one exam; if it is overdue for more than three years, the driver's license will be invalidated. Driving a motor vehicle is not allowed during the overdue period.
My C1 driver's license has been in use for almost five years. I recently consulted a friend at the vehicle management office. He said that nowadays, driver's licenses aren't inspected annually; the key factor is the validity period. You must renew your license six years after obtaining it, and you can do so at the vehicle management office within 90 days before it expires. If you fail to renew it within one year after expiration, the system will automatically lock your license, and you'll need to retake the written test (Subject 1) to restore it. The most severe consequence occurs if you delay for over three years—your license will be completely invalidated, requiring you to retake all tests from Subject 1 to Subject 4, which is both costly and time-consuming. This is much stricter than annual inspections. I immediately set a reminder on my phone calendar six months in advance to ensure I don't miss this critical deadline.
Last year, my colleague suffered a big loss because he completely failed to notice that his driver's license had been expired for almost two years. When he went to handle a traffic violation, he was informed that his license had been suspended. It was only after making a special trip to the vehicle management office that he learned: starting from the day after the license expiration date, the first year still allows for a normal renewal; between one to three years, the license enters a locked state, requiring a retake of the written test (Subject 1); after three years, the license becomes completely invalid, and the system directly purges the record. He said that for over a month, he had to juggle work while studying and retaking the test, spending an extra 800+ yuan on retake fees and service charges. It's best for everyone to check the initial issuance date on the back page of their driver's license. For example, if your license was issued in 2023, you'll need to renew it by 2029.
