(WTTW News)

Illinois residents scrambling to renew their driver’s licenses and identification cards got a five-month reprieve Monday as lines swelled at secretary of state offices across the state.

All expired driver’s licenses and identification cards will remain valid until Jan. 1, 2022, Secretary of State Jesse White said.

Rules designed to stop the spread of COVID-19 by limiting capacity and ensuring social distancing has led to massive lines outside facilities, fueling frustration.

The extension was included in Senate Bill 2232, sponsored by state Sen. Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) and state Rep. Michelle Mussman (D-Schaumburg), which Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed into law Friday.

All driver’s license and identification card facilities were closed from March to June 2020, during the first wave of the pandemic, and then again from mid-November until January during the second wave. 

White said his office “continues to review ways to further expand online renewals for expired driver’s licenses and identification cards to reduce volume,” according to a statement.

For more information, go to cyberdriveillinois.com.

Contact Heather Cherone: @HeatherCherone | (773) 569-1863 | [email protected]