Updating Smaller Details on Your License
A driver's license carries far more information than most people realize — height, weight, eye color, hair color, organ donor status, restrictions like "corrective lenses" or "daylight only," and in many states an emergency-contact field accessible to first responders. Each of those fields can be updated, and a few of them really should be when life changes.
Most of these updates are free or close to it. They're handled either online (for low-risk changes like an emergency contact) or in person (for restrictions tied to medical evaluation). Doing them in batches at your next license renewal saves a separate trip, but a couple of fields — vision restrictions and the donor flag — are worth updating any time they change rather than waiting for renewal day.
The fields you can update
Corrective-lens restriction
Most state licenses carry a small "B" or "Corr Lens" restriction if you wore glasses or contacts at the eye exam. If you've had Lasik or other corrective surgery and now pass the standard 20/40 vision test without lenses, you can ask the DMV to remove the restriction. Bring your post-operative report from the ophthalmologist or pass a fresh DMV vision test on the spot.
Organ donor status
The donor designation is one of the simplest and highest-impact fields on your license. Adding or removing it is free and can usually be done online. The official donor registry is operated through Donate Life America in partnership with state DMVs; a license-front "Donor" mark plus enrollment in the registry is what hospitals check when the question comes up.
Height, weight, hair, and eye color
The DMV keeps these on file because they're useful for officer identification at traffic stops. They're rarely updated unless the change is significant — most states will let height and eye color slide for a renewal cycle, but a major weight change is worth correcting at your next visit so the description matches you rather than your card from a decade ago.
Emergency-contact registration
Most states now offer a "Next of Kin" or "Emergency Contact Information" registry that's accessible to police and EMS at the scene of an accident. Adding two emergency contacts takes about three minutes online and could be the most important DMV transaction you ever do. The contacts are not visible on the front of your license; they're stored in the DMV's secure database for first responders only.
Veteran indicator
Honorably discharged veterans can request a "VETERAN" designation on the front of their license, often at no cost beyond a duplicate-license fee. Bring your DD-214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) to your next DMV visit.
Restrictions tied to medical conditions
Some restrictions can only be added or removed after a medical evaluation. The most common are daylight-only driving (often issued after a vision concern), no freeway driving (sometimes added after a serious crash or as a self-imposed limitation by an older driver), and automatic transmission only. If your circumstances have changed and you want a restriction lifted, your doctor can submit a fitness-to-drive form that the DMV reviews with its medical advisory board.
What you can't update
You can't change your license number — it's permanently tied to you. You can't change your date of birth without proof of a clerical error on the original birth certificate. And you can't update your name without an underlying legal document — see name change for that path.