Renewal of a U.S. driver's license from overseas

I've looked and this particular situation isn't quite covered anywhere. I've been here now for three and a half years, yet never bothered to get a German drivers license. My Illinois license is set to expire in early February. The likelihood of transferring to a German one in that time seems remote. I'd renew my Illinois license, but would need to change my address. Moreover, if my read of the Illinois secretary of state webpage is correct (crappy site, by the way) I would need to do that in person as address changes can only be made by mail up to 90 days before the license expires. Moreover, what sort of address would I use? I'd go ahead and get a German license, but by the time that I'd make it through the teutonic bureaucracy, my US license will have expired. The last thing I want to have to do is go through the hassle of getting a German license from square 1, i.e. taking road safety courses and such. I think I'm screwed anyway as I've been over here so long without having transferred my license.

General question I suppose is this: how is it possible to renew a US license while living overseas?

Thoughts?

I did this a couple of years ago using an address that I have not officially lived at in years, however in Virginia, you need to go in person (post 9/11 hoopla) and if you want to keep a US address on your license, it's best to get it renewed than to let it expire and have to ask for a new one. Are you sure you cannot keep your address by just showing up at the DMV and asking to get it renewed?

It depends on the state, Texas let me do mine online with my parents address as my home. Maybe its different in flyover country

Do you still have legal residence in a state after 3.5 years here?

1) Get a German one before its too late (you might be able to slip by and especially if you do #2).
2) Fly to the states and get it renewed in person in a state that has total reciprocity with Germany. Use a friends address if you have too.

Joke was intended thank you very much. I am here all week.

If you go back to the US and get it renewed in a German Friendly xfer state, make sure you get a Dupe made too...
This way when you goto get your German license, you can give them the Dupe license for the German license and
still have a US License.

If you are continuing to drive here, then you are driving illegally and without insurance anyway - why bother to renew at all?

Many states, post 9-11, want verification of a change of address. A phone bill in your name to that address. A rental agreement. A electricity bill. Something like that. If you can't provide that and your state requires it, it'll be tough to get it changed (or even renewed after they find out you don't have an address in that state).

As for renewing it and not physically being present at the DMV, that all depends on your status in Germany. Many states allow a by-mail renewal for military and government civilian employees stationed overseas. If you don't fall into that catagory, it may be difficult (or near impossible) to do it by-mail if your state requires that you be present if not in the service of the government.

Your best bet would be to get it renewed when you go on your next trip home. Even if it's expired and you can show proof that you were out of the country from the time of expiration until the date you arrived at the DMV, there will be no problems. The big problem is driving illegally while you're over here. If you get in an accident, your insurance won't pay because you were driving illegally. While the other person's insurance will pay to repair damage to their car (after the clusterfuck of paperwork and waiting time passes), you will be double screwed.

For the record, I do not nor have I ever needed to drive over here. Hence the reason why I've not subjected myself to any unnecessary German bureaucratic hassles to get a German license that I don't need.

Also, there is no "home" to return to. My last address was in Chicago. Most often when I fly to the States, I go to Kentucky (where I grew up). I have no fixed address in the US.

I just did mine when I was home in the suburbs of Chicago, they only asked me if anything has changed (ie: address) and within 5 minutes (which included a new photo) and $10 later, I was away with a new license. The only issue I had was that I wanted mine too soon (normally would have expired in May of 08) but I knew I wouldn't be home then so I explained to the lady that I wouldn't be in country at that time (therefore unable to renew). After a quick approval from her manager she issued one to me with a new expiration of 2011.

If you did not get a German license after getting here then you're screwed. Too much time has elapsed and you must now attend the full program here in order to get a license.

As someone else stated, if you do want to change the address then you need utility bills with your name on them at that address. I actually changed my address as well when I did mine but the lady forgot to ask me for those bills (although I had them)

But they don't know that...

Pick an address and just go with it... If you need some papers "Shopped" to prove your address
let me know.