Licensing, insurance and the law
Your license was lost, so you got a replacement. A week after the new card arrives, you find the old one. What should you do with it?
- Destroy it, because it stopped being valid when the replacement arrived. Correct answer
- Keep it as a spare until the expiration date printed on it.
- Mail it back to DMV within 10 days.
Why
A replacement license retires the card it replaces. Once the new card reaches you, the old one is no longer valid, even if the expiration date printed on it is still in the future, so it is useless as a spare. For an old card that turns up later, the handbook's instruction is simply to destroy it; there is nothing to send back. Ten days is a real deadline, but for something else: it is the time you have to notify DMV of a new address after you move. Lost, stolen and damaged licenses are renewed or replaced through dmv.ca.gov/dlservices, and keep in mind that driving with an expired license is against the law.
Where this comes from
California Driver's Handbook, June 2025 edition. The correct answer is Destroy it, because it stopped being valid when the replacement arrived.
The rule behind this one
License, points and insurance in California goes through the whole topic, with the page of the California Driver's Handbook behind every rule.
More on licensing, insurance and the law
- You are driving in the carpool (HOV) lane when a law enforcement officer signals you to pull over. Where should you stop?
- A law enforcement officer stops you for a traffic violation. When must the officer tell you the reason for the stop?
- During a traffic stop, an officer asks for your permission to search your car. Which statement matches the handbook?
- You signed a traffic ticket but did not show up in court on your date. What can DMV do?