§ 13002 Id Card Expiration Rules

ID cards last until the holder’s 6th birthday after they apply (8th birthday for senior cards); they can be renewed for the same length, and the state throws away old records after 6½ years (or 8½ years for seniors).

Key Takeaways

•Regular IDs end on the holder’s 6th birthday after they apply; senior IDs end on the 8th birthday.
•Renewals give you the same length of time as the original card.
•If you wait more than 90 days after a card expires, the renewal counts as a brand‑new application.
•The state deletes the card’s record 6½ years after it’s issued (or 8½ years for senior cards) if it’s never renewed.

Example

Maria turns 65 and gets a senior citizen ID on June 1, 2023. She will keep it until her 73rd birthday on June 15, 2031.

Because she is a senior, her card expires on her eighth birthday after she applied. When it expires, she can renew it for another eight‑year stretch, and the department will delete the old record six years and six months after it was first issued if she never renews.

How to Calculate

Expiration Date = Birthdate + N years, where N = 6 for regular IDs and N = 8 for senior IDs. Record‑Destruction Date = Issuance or Renewal Date + (N years + 6 months).

Find the person’s birthdate.
Add 6 years (or 8 years for seniors) to the birthdate to get the expiration date.
If you are calculating when the state destroys the record, add another 6 months to the expiration‑or‑issuance date (6 years + 6 months for regular IDs, 8 years + 6 months for seniors).

Tom is born July 20, 2000 and applies for a regular ID on March 5, 2022.

Result: Expiration = July 20, 2006 (Tom’s 6th birthday after the application). If Tom never renews, the department will destroy the record on January 20, 2013 (6 years + 6 months after the July 20, 2006 expiration).

(a)Except as otherwise provided in subdivision (b), every identification card shall expire, unless canceled earlier, on the sixth birthday of the applicant following the date of application for the identification card. Renewal of any identification card, other than a senior citizen identification card, shall be made for a term which shall expire on the sixth birthday of the applicant following expiration of the identification card renewed, unless surrendered earlier. Any application for renewal received after 90 days after expiration of the identification card, including a senior citizen identification card, shall be considered the same as an application for an original identification card. The department shall, at the end of six years and six months after the issuance or renewal of an identification card, other than a senior citizen identification card, destroy any record of the card if it has expired and has not been renewed. (b)Every senior citizen identification card issued pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 13000 shall expire, unless canceled earlier, on the eighth birthday of the applicant following the date of application for the identification card. Renewal of any senior citizen identification card shall be made for a term which shall expire on the eighth birthday of the applicant following expiration of the senior citizen identification card renewed, unless surrendered earlier. The department shall, at the end of eight years and six months after the issuance or renewal of a senior citizen identification card, destroy any record of the card if it has expired and has not been renewed. (c)An identification card may be issued to a person in exchange for the person’s driver’s license which is surrendered to the department for either of the following reasons: (1)The person has a physical or mental condition and requests cancellation of the driver’s license. (2)The department has revoked the person’s driving privilege based on the person’s physical or mental condition. That card shall be issued without the payment of any additional fee. (d)Notwithstanding subdivisions (a) and (b), the department may adjust the expiration date of any identification card issued pursuant to this code so that the date does not exceed the expiration date of a document submitted pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 12801.5. (e)This section shall become operative on January 1, 2018.

Key Takeaways

•Regular IDs end on the holder’s 6th birthday after they apply; senior IDs end on the 8th birthday.
•Renewals give you the same length of time as the original card.
•If you wait more than 90 days after a card expires, the renewal counts as a brand‑new application.
•The state deletes the card’s record 6½ years after it’s issued (or 8½ years for senior cards) if it’s never renewed.

Example

Maria turns 65 and gets a senior citizen ID on June 1, 2023. She will keep it until her 73rd birthday on June 15, 2031.

How to Calculate

Expiration Date = Birthdate + N years, where N = 6 for regular IDs and N = 8 for senior IDs. Record‑Destruction Date = Issuance or Renewal Date + (N years + 6 months).

Find the person’s birthdate.
Add 6 years (or 8 years for seniors) to the birthdate to get the expiration date.
If you are calculating when the state destroys the record, add another 6 months to the expiration‑or‑issuance date (6 years + 6 months for regular IDs, 8 years + 6 months for seniors).

Tom is born July 20, 2000 and applies for a regular ID on March 5, 2022.

Key Takeaways

Example

How to Calculate

References

§ 13002 Id Card Expiration Rules

Key Takeaways

Example

How to Calculate

References

Key Takeaways

Example

How to Calculate

Related Statutes

References

Key Takeaways

Example

How to Calculate

Related Statutes

References