I'll bet I'm the FIRST to experience this...

brewster · Post by **brewster** » Tue Nov 13, 2007 8:18 pm

...if I'm not, please correct me.

As I understand it, CHLs issued nowadays are good for four years after your upcoming birthday. Interpreted literally, if your CHL is activated the day after your birthday, you get a free year before having to re-qualify, making it essentially a five-year license instead of four.

My packet was received by DPS on 10/4. My birthday is tomorrow, 11/14. I check the website every day, hoping to see no change in status until the end of the week for reasons mentioned above. Figuring that close to 60 days was the norm, or at least 45, I figured my chances of getting a 5 year license were pretty darn good.

Lo and behold, I log on tonight, one day before my birthday, and see that my application is completed, CHL now active. My first thought is happiness, can't wait to do the wally walk! My immediate second thought is if I would have mailed the packet two days later, it would have given me an extra year for free.

Help me here folks! Either confirm that I have interpreted this guideline correctly and give me some sympathy, or tell me that I might get lucky and the computer might kick me a license with a Nov. 2012 expiration instead of 2011.

And lastly, am I the first to get nicked by one day due to the unexpected efficiency of the government? As a government employee myself, I sympathize with their burdens sometimes but didn't expect turbo processing!

I'd be very interested in the senior members and moderators weighing in on this, especially Mr. Cotton if he's available. Of course, all other input is welcome too. Thanks to you all, this is a great site.

seamusTX · Post by **seamusTX** » Tue Nov 13, 2007 9:03 pm

Some people have had their license issued a week or two before their birthday, and it expired in more than five years.

Have a happy birthday.

- Jim

brewster · Post by **brewster** » Tue Nov 13, 2007 9:22 pm

Reassuring words, Jim. I'll be sure to post the expiration date on here in a few days when I get it....hopefully it will be consistent with what you said. Maybe this situation arises more often than I thought. Thanks for the input and the birthday wishes.

seamusTX · Post by **seamusTX** » Tue Nov 13, 2007 9:31 pm

brewster wrote:I'll be sure to post the expiration date on here in a few days when I get it....

Please do. Some people keep track of these things.

Whether your initial license is good for four years and a day or five years and a couple of weeks, the cost comes out to about $10 a week. After that renewal costs a lot less and always for five years.

Like the commercial says: Security: Priceless. For everything else, there's MasterCard.

- Jim

atxgun · Post by **atxgun** » Tue Nov 13, 2007 9:53 pm

My instructor pointed this out to us and said if our bday was close we might want to wait. Mine's Dec 14th but no way it would get issued by then so I'm just going to completely the paper work and send it out this week.

brewster · Post by **brewster** » Mon Nov 26, 2007 8:21 pm

Got a five year license.

Jim, you were right. I hope the computer automatically kicks out a five year license to all those who are approved close to their birthdays...

seamusTX · Post by **seamusTX** » Mon Nov 26, 2007 8:45 pm

brewster wrote:Got a five year license. Jim, you were right.

Congrats.

I wonder if DPS will ever fix the bug.

- Jim

brewster · Post by **brewster** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 12:29 am

seamusTX wrote:I wonder if DPS will ever fix the bug.

Dunno...but that's one bug that I sure don't mind having around.

texasag93 · Post by **texasag93** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 11:42 am

My birthday is 11/24 and the license was issued on 11/20/2007. It espires 11/24/2011.

Just 4 years here, but I am not complaining.

texasag