A second Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) Driver Licensing Regional Office will open in Northern Kentucky, adding to the network of offices to provide modern licensing and credentialing services to Kentuckians.
The new office, located at 1840 Simon Kenton Way in Covington, is a former branch location of the Office of the Kenton County Circuit Court Clerk. KYTC also has a regional office in Burlington, at 6159 1st Financial Drive.
“Driver’s licenses and state IDs aren’t just credentials. They’re keys that unlock so many doors, like making your voice heard in an election, being able to drive to school or work or traveling by air,” Gov. Beshear said. “The expansion of regional offices gives Kentuckians more card options, like getting a REAL ID or standard-issue license, and the choice of a four-year or eight-year credential. It also greatly increases security of those credentials.”
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The new Covington office is the 23rd KYTC Driver Licensing Regional Office to be opened to date, with more offices planned. Like KYTC’s other regional offices, it will process applications for REAL ID and standard-issue driver’s licenses, commercial driver licenses, identification cards and learner permits. It also will process in-person renewals and requests for replacement credentials. Operating hours will be Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern.
Customers can schedule an appointment online at drive.ky.gov. Walk-in customers will be served on a first-come, first-served basis.
Kentuckians traditionally made a trip to the Office of the Circuit Court Clerk in their home county for driver licensing services. Those services now are being transferred to KYTC, and customers can visit any Driver Licensing Regional Office, regardless of where they live. A phased transition is to be completed by June 30, 2022. By the end of April, 106 Kentucky counties will have made the switch.
The Covington office is part of a new system that combines technology with strategic locations to deliver modern, secure licensing and ID card services. The new system enables Kentuckians who want to renew their present credential to do so online or by mail and “skip a trip” to an office. To date, more than 140,000 Kentuckians have used the online renewal option and more than 10,000 have used the mail-in option. A list of services offered through each renewal option is available at drive.ky.gov.
First-time REAL ID applicants must visit a KYTC regional office in person, with proof of identity, residence and social security. For a personalized list of required documents to bring when applying, visit realidky.com.
“This is next-level driver licensing in Kentucky. Customers have more service options than ever before,” KYTC Secretary Jim Gray said.
REAL ID
“After many years of issuing driver licenses, circuit court clerks will be able to focus solely on court business, and driver licensing will be executed at new regional offices whose only business is licensing,” Secretary Gray said.
Applicants for permits or licenses must first complete driver testing conducted by Kentucky State Police. Appointments can be made online at kentuckystatepolice.org.
Other KYTC Driver Licensing Regional Offices are located in Bowling Green, Burlington, Catlettsburg, Columbia, Danville, Elizabethtown, Frankfort, Hopkinsville, Jackson, Lexington, Louisville/Bowman Field (appointment only), Louisville/Dixie Highway (appointment only), Louisville/Hurstbourne, Louisville/Nia Center, Madisonville, Manchester, Morehead, Owensboro, Paducah, Prestonsburg, Richmond and Somerset. More offices are planned to open.
In addition, a temporary office has been operating in Mayfield since shortly after a tornado outbreak on Dec. 10, 2021, destroyed the Graves County Courthouse.
A map showing the Driver Licensing Regional Offices can be found at transportation.ky.gov.
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet
