Illinois Drivers Licenses Facilities to Open Again for Business

(WTTW News)(WTTW News)

If you’re looking to start 2021 by checking items off a long-lingering to-do list, it’ll soon once again be possible to get your state IDs updated.

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Related: Illinois Driver’s License Facilities Are Closed. What Now?

State driver service facilities will reopen on Tuesday for the first time since mid-November.

Secretary of State Jesse White closed driver’s license facilities to everyone but new drivers and truckers due to the coronavirus.

But White’s office is encouraging people not to rush to get their state IDs and driving licenses renewed, given that expired licenses (at least those that expired since the start of the pandemic) are good until June.

Most drivers won’t have to visit a DMV at all. They can go online to renew their driver’s licenses and to buy a new license plate sticker. Those who qualify should get a notice in the mail with directions and a PIN number.

But drivers who are due for a road or written test will at some point need to make their way to a driver’s license facility – now outfitted with plexiglass dividers and tape markers to ensure customers stay socially distanced.

A couple of driver’s license facilities will remain closed. The James R. Thompson Center and Chicago Loop Express locations won’t open because they’re housed in buildings closed off to the public because of COVID-19, and the Chicago West facility is shuttered due to nearby sewer repairs.

Follow Amanda Vinicky on Twitter: @AmandaVinicky


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