It happens to the best of us. You think you know where your license is, safe secure in your wallet or purse, but when you reach for it you suddenly discover it is missing. You search your car, turn your pockets in and out; even replay all your activity for the last week or more and still cannot find it.

Finally you accept that your driver’s license is indeed lost. Gone for good. So, what do you do now?

Fortunately Arizona driver’s can replace their driver’s license online via the Arizona Department of Transportation web site. That’s right. If your driver’s license is lost you don’t need to trudge down to the local branch of the ADOT to get a new one (you can, but you don’t have to.) All you need to do to replace your driver’s license or even your Arizona state identification card, is go online, or pick up the phone. Your license or identification card needs to have been in good standing and you will be required to provide some identification information in addition to paying the $12 fee, but they can do all that electronically.

They cannot help you recover everything you might have lost when you lost your driver’s license (credit cards, cash, photos of the kids) but they can at least help you restore your identification and get back behind the wheel legally.

Remember, Arizona state law requires you have your state issued driver’s license on your person any time you get behind the wheel. Failure to do so may result in a citation or even a trip to the local jail. If you know your license is missing take the steps to restore it right away. The sooner, the better.

How can I replace a lost or stolen license, and how much will it cost?

You may replace a lost or stolen driver license or identification card online, by phone, or at any MVD or authorized Third Party office. The fee for a duplicate license is $12.00. A duplicate ordered online can be sent by express delivery for an additional fee.

If you visit an office you must have two forms of identification, one of which contains your photo (or three forms of identification, if no photo). Management approval may be required. If your license has been lost or stolen and you have reason to believe someone else is using it, the incident should be reported to your local police department as an identity theft.