How Do You Get an Illinois State ID Card?

The state ID rule in one table

| Who | Non-drivers of any age. No minimum age | | How | Visit a DMV facility. Temporary ID card issued at the facility. Permanent card mailed within 15 business days | | Validity | Typically 5 years | | Fee, under 18 | 5 dollars | | Fee, ages 18 to 64 | 20 dollars | | Fee, 65 and older | Free, non-expiring | | Fee, Persons with Disabilities | Free, 10 years, with an Application for an Illinois Person with a Disability Identification Card completed by a doctor | | Renewal | Renewal letter mailed 60 to 90 days before expiration. Renew online, at a kiosk, or in person. Temporary secure paper card on completion | | Central issuance | Temporary paper credential valid 90 days. Permanent card mailed within 15 business days. Name, date of birth, and Social Security number verified with the Social Security Administration before issuance |

What makes a state ID different

A state ID is the non-driver's card, and age is the only fee line that matters for most applicants. There is no minimum age, the card typically runs 5 years, and the two free tracks sit at the ends of the age line: 65 and older get a free non-expiring card, and Persons with Disabilities get a free 10-year card on a doctor-completed application. A REAL ID version is available through the REAL ID portal, and it follows the REAL ID document bundle rather than this page's track.

The second difference is the no-fee branches beyond age. Three more groups apply free: people experiencing homelessness under the McKinney-Vento definition, with a Homeless Status Certification plus proof of legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, and signature; youth in the care of DCFS, ages 16 to 20, with Form 906 dated no more than 30 days prior plus proof documents; and people returning from incarceration, through a pre-release path at the correctional facility, or a 90-day temporary card plus hard-card path with a DMV visit within 30 days of release.

The process, step by step

1. Visit a DMV facility to obtain a new state ID card. Bring proof of legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, and signature, in original hard copy form. The acceptable-document chart for the document groups lives on the Secretary of State Rules of the Road and acceptable-documents pages.
2. Receive the temporary ID card at the facility. The permanent card is mailed within 15 business days, after Social Security Administration verification of name, date of birth, and Social Security number.
3. Renew on the letter mailed 60 to 90 days before expiration: online, at a kiosk, or in person at a DMV, with a temporary secure paper card on completion.

Duplicate and corrected state ID fees were not verified on the primary fee page for this guide, so no duplicate or corrected fee figure appears here. Check the Secretary of State fee schedule before paying for a duplicate or corrected card.

Related Illinois guides

See Illinois REAL ID Driver's License and State ID and How to Change Your Address in Illinois, and the full hub at Illinois Admin Process Directory.

Source

The application route, the fees, the validity periods, the renewal route, and the no-fee tracks on this page come from the Illinois Secretary of State: the Driver's License and State ID Card Information page and the Rules of the Road 2026 fee table. Facts verified 2026-10-27.

This page explains how the process works and what the official rules say. It is general information, not legal advice. For a dispute about your specific situation, talk to a lawyer or your government agency.