Residents heading south for the winter are reminded to renew their driver’s licenses and license plates before leaving Michigan.

People can renew plates for individually owned or leased cars, pickup trucks, vans and motorcycles up to six months before they expire. They can renew early online at ExpressSOS.com or at a Secretary of State office – even if they have not received their renewal information in the mail. License plate tabs will arrive by mail within two weeks. Company-owned passenger plates cannot be renewed early.

Driver’s licenses (for drivers ages 21 and older) and state ID cards may be renewed up to a year early. Motorists also have the option of obtaining a REAL ID-compliant license or state ID card at no extra cost when renewing. Certain paperwork and a visit to a branch is required, so drivers are encouraged to check Michigan.gov/REALID or call the Department of State Information Center at 888-SOS-MICH (767-6424) for more details.

Customers visiting a branch office should consider scheduling an appointment. Appointments are reserved online at Michigan.gov/SOSAppointments and help ensure that visits are 30 minutes or less. Customers select the day, time and branch office location that best fits their schedule. They should plan on arriving 10 minutes early the day of their appointment and will be called to the counter by a service representative when their time has arrived.