Well, it's been 8 years since my last renewal.  I've only had to do the eye exam, so the process is pretty minimal/

This year, I put it off due to the moving target of needing the Gold Star (Real-ID) symbol added for travel.  You're allowed to renew as early as 6 months prior to expiration and still have the next expiration date be your birthday in 8 years.  The Governor's current COVID Emergency Order extended driver's license expiration dates until Nov 30, 2021.  Mine expires on my birthday:  12/03/2021.  So, I figured I might as well stick to my normal renewal date.

Anyway, I went online to make an appointment.  They no longer allow walk-ins or stand-by customers -- appointment only.  When I went through the online forms, the earliest was Jan 3, 2022.  After browsing a little more, the site said they add the extended hour and cancelled appointments into the system between 3:30pm and 4:30pm the day prior.  That applies to three locations: Kapalama, Kapolei, Koolau driver licensing centers.  So, I waited to check after 3:30.  At 4:00, there were no new appointments.  I thought, maybe that's because it's Thanksgiving Day?  Then when I checked again about 4:30, there were a dozen or more slots available at Kapolei for the next day.  Woo hoo!     I picked the 3:45 slot.  7am just wasn't doing it for me! 

Got there at 3:20 and checked in.  They ask that you check in 15 minutes prior to your appointment, so I was good.  At 3:30, they moved me from outside to inside the building.  There I waited until just before 3:45 to be called to a window.  They take you in order of your scheduled time, not according to when you check in.

I had all my papers:

- the license renewal application I filled out online and printed,
- my current license,
- my DD214 to have my license identify me as a Veteran, and
- my truck registration, for the Real-ID address verification

I didn't need my Social Security Card or Birth Certificate, since they had those already in their system.  If your current license doesn't have your current address (like an out of state license), you need a second document for the Real-ID verification.  The online app walks you through all the options for documents to bring.

I paid with a credit card.  They add 2.35% for credit card transactions, so the total was $40.95 ($40 for the renewed license that's good for another 8 years).

Got my photo taken at another window, received my temporary license, and was out the door at 4:00. 

Be aware the temp license is not valid for flying, so plan accordingly.  Even if you aren't traveling, they recommend having a second form of ID on you just in case:  military ID, passport, etc.

It takes 6-8 weeks to receive your license in the mail.  If I recall, it was less than 2 weeks last time.  I'll update this when I get it.

Kapolei has about 12 windows to process license and ID customers, so the wait is minimal.  The appointment system is pretty easy to use and helps.

All in all, 30-40 minutes from arrival to departure was better than I normally expect to spend at the DMV or licensing offices.  The workers were also friendlier than many I've dealt with before.  Maybe they are still happy from their day off yesterday?   

Hope this helps someone.  Or maybe it'll invite others to share their experiences, too.   

Didn't you have to bring bills from the phone company, cable, electric company, etc., to prove that you live/reside in HI? The state scans these forms of evidence, so I would avoid bringing anything of a financial nature (e.g., bank statement).
With your current renewal, the expiration period should now be 10 years. Were you photographed with or without your mask?

Didn't you have to bring bills from the phone company, cable, electric company, etc., to prove that you live/reside in HI? The state scans these forms of evidence, so I would avoid bringing anything of a financial nature (e.g., bank statement).
With your current renewal, the expiration period should now be 10 years. Were you photographed with or without your mask?

They have you remove your mask for the photo.  I'd be shocked if they allowed masks in the photos!   

You only need two documents with your address.  For me, I used my current driver's license and vehicle registration.   Since they are similar to DMV, I have no problem with them having a copy of a state-produced registration form.

When you make an appointment, or if you are just reading the requirements, there's an app you can use to see what documents you'll need called the "Interactive Online Document Guide:"
http://www2.honolulu.gov/documentguide/

You'll need to enter specific information from certain documents, such as your driver license number and name exactly as printed on the documents.

Where did you get 10 years?  Every webpage and sign at the licensing office that I've seen says 8 years for ages 25-71.  This is further evidenced the license expiration on my new temp license; 2029.  The temp license has an additional date stamped on the front saying it expires 01/21/22, which should be after I get my permanent license.

BTW, the Real ID deadline from Homeland Security is now

May 3, 2023

https://www.dhs.gov/real-id

https://www.honolulu.gov/cms-csd-menu/site-csd-sitearticles/30668-real-id-faq-v2-02-28-18.html

When I started getting close to renewing my license -- about a year out -- I checked the date, and I would have needed to renew 4-6 months before my license expired if I planned to travel after the Real ID program went into effect.  However, the pandemic put the implementation schedule on hold for awhile.

You can renew your license up to 6 months before it expires, and it'll still expire on your birth date 8 years later.  If you need a Real ID license before you can renew, you just need to get a Duplicate License, which costs $6. 

On May 3, 2023, U.S. travelers must be REAL ID compliant to board domestic flights and access certain federal facilities.

You can renew 6 month before your license expires, but you will also have to factor in the lead time for the appointment are booked, in your case, to Jan 3rd, 5 weeks.  At least it is not 90 days out and being reserved every 10 minutes.  i remember that whole day is available and you can pick a time that is convenient for you verse having to refresh every 10 minutes to schedule your appointment and you only have seconds before it disappears.

You can renew 6 month before your license expires, but you will also have to factor in the lead time for the appointment are booked, in your case, to Jan 3rd, 5 weeks.  At least it is not 90 days out and being reserved every 10 minutes.  i remember that whole day is available and you can pick a time that is convenient for you verse having to refresh every 10 minutes to schedule your appointment and you only have seconds before it disappears.

HPD could have saved a bunch of time and disgruntled customers if they'd used the driver licensing division's appointment system.

Once you make an appointment, you can't make another without cancelling the first one.

As I wrote earlier, the cancellations at 3 of the stations are entered between 3:30 and 4:30 the day before the appointments.  I was able to get one of the 10 or so available the following day. 

I'm used to a massive line waiting for an hour or two just to get to the window.  I don't think I had to wait more than the 15 minutes they told me to arrive before my appointment time.     So, If I'd arrived on time or only a couple of minutes early, I would have had a much shorter wait.

As I said in the title, this was a Happy Story.  The only surprise was how pleasant the whole process was.  Hopefully the time to receive my license is much shorter than they estimate.   

After you get your new license, request a duplicate, which can be done online.  So you will have a backup, especially when you are traveling.

Where did you get 10 years? 

I read the wrong application date. It was dark in the room.    Eight years is the limit. Those who are age 72 and over are put into a predicament where they must come back every two years to renew, once the license is near expiration. I see that you had the foresight to max out the longevity of your license, while the opportunity is available.

I read the wrong application date. It was dark in the room.    Eight years is the limit. Those who are age 72 and over are put into a predicament where they must come back every two years to renew, once the license is near expiration. I see that you had the foresight to max out the longevity of your license, while the opportunity is available.

I still get another 8 year renewal before I'm in the 2-year-renewal "Geezer" group!   

If my future unfolds as I anticipate, I won't be dealing with Hawaii for another renewal anyway.  Hopefully I'll be in a "better place" -- and still sucking air!

I forgot to add the update:

I received my permanent license in the mail on the 17th, just 3 weeks from the day I renewed it on Friday, 11-26.

That's about 1/2 the time I was told to wait:  6-8 weeks.

 

I forgot to add the update:

I received my permanent license in the mail on the 17th, just 3 weeks from the day I renewed it on Friday, 11-26.

That's about 1/2 the time I was told to wait:  6-8 weeks.

 

I didn’t want to take over your thread here. I would like to say that is a happy ending. 

But seriously I renewed my license in Hawaii twice while living there and both times it was a fairly easy process with no drama. Mostly because I went to their website and made an appointment and brought all the documentation they stated. The only time I had a bad experience is when I went there without an appointment. I arrived an hour early and the line was literally a half mile long. It took me 4 hours to get into the front door. And another hour to get up to the desk. I was there to get a duplicate pink slip for a car I was selling.

Im surprised the new way is working well. Mine took 20 mins from my appt rsvp time to walking out the door. Pre rsvp was a few hrs.

And for rsvp, u can only make 1. They track u if u try to make more. As in need to cancel the OG 1 b4 making a new 1.

Which means similar tech is available, hpd firearms just didnt care of all the no shows.

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I didn’t want to take over your thread here. I would like to say that is a happy ending. 

But seriously I renewed my license in Hawaii twice while living there and both times it was a fairly easy process with no drama. Mostly because I went to their website and made an appointment and brought all the documentation they stated. The only time I had a bad experience is when I went there without an appointment. I arrived an hour early and the line was literally a half mile long. It took me 4 hours to get into the front door. And another hour to get up to the desk. I was there to get a duplicate pink slip for a car I was selling.

The driver's licensing section is separate from the DMV section for car registrations, so I wouldn't roll them into one topic.

In my experience, the DMV is always hit or miss.  Never go the first or last week of the month, and try to go before lunchtime.  That's usually worked better for me than other times.

 

Im surprised the new way is working well. Mine took 20 mins from my appt rsvp time to walking out the door. Pre rsvp was a few hrs.

And for rsvp, u can only make 1. They track u if u try to make more. As in need to cancel the OG 1 b4 making a new 1.

Which means similar tech is available, hpd firearms just didnt care of all the no shows.

Since HPD can run a license and registration check on anyone, it would seem they already have access to the license and registration databases.  They could easily do a lookup of license numbers to confirm identity of online reservation seekers.

But, that would require a desire to prevent massive disruption of the system and infringe on the rights of scalpers!