Best time to apply online?

[BMWGSRider]

The CHL expires every 5 years on your birthday if I remember correctly...

My birthday is Feb. 11th. Is it safe to file for CHL online now or should I wait till after Feb. 11th? I don't want to cheat myself out of a year by applying too soon...

Thanks in advance.

[MasterOfNone]

I'd wait a week or so. You just KNOW that this would be the one time DPS issues a CHL in under 2 weeks. I'd apply online now and get prints, but I wouldn't mail the docs just yet.

[KC5AV]

If you're talking about your initial license, I believe it's 4 years after the first birthday after getting your license. Something like that. I forget the actual phrasing, but it doesn't really matter when you apply. It's based on when everything gets to Austin.

[MoJo]

It will take 30+ days to get your first time CHL. Go ahead and submit your online application get all your paper work taken care of and put it in the mail the earliest I'd expect your license to be issued would be late February or early March. Initial licenses expire on your birthday four years from the issue date so you will get four years plus 10 or 11 months. Go for it!

[RoyGBiv]

DPS seems to be running at about a 3 week turnaround on applications currently..

I'd wait until the end of the month just in case..

[BMWGSRider]

Thanks. When I talked to DPS, they said the date starts the day they receive the online submission so I figured that if I submitted before my birthday I would be losing out on a year... the person at DPS wouldn't really say much but agreed. I didn't know if the person who I spoke to with DPS was giving me the truth or not... I figured the date would start when the paperwork was totally processed and not the date the application was submitted online.

[Rebel]

Thanks. When I talked to DPS, they said the date starts the day they receive the online submission so I figured that if I submitted before my birthday I would be losing out on a year... the person at DPS wouldn't really say much but agreed. I didn't know if the person who I spoke to with DPS was giving me the truth or not... I figured the date would start when the paperwork was totally processed and not the date the application was submitted online.

Hmmm this is interesting and disturbing for me, as I applied online a full 7 months before I took and sent in my packet. Birthday is in March and I applied in May sent in paperwork in December.

[Ameer]

I don't know if DPS is following the law but this is what the law says. (GC 411.183)

(a) A license issued under this subchapter expires on the first birthday of the license holder occurring after the fourth anniversary of the date of issuance.
(b) A renewed license expires on the license holder's birthdate, five years after the date of the expiration of the previous license.

Unless you're worried they will issue your CHL in less than two weeks, I say go ahead and apply now. You still have to mail your CHL-100 and photo, even if you applied online and did L1 fingerpaints, and the post office will add a few days to the process.

For renewals, there's no benefit to waiting because it expires 5 years after the previous one, even if you have a gap in coverage.

[Rebel]

Ah so if I get my CHL issued in next week or two(hopefully). It will be good for 4 years and roughly 1 month, as my birthday is in March.

If it was say issued in April, it would be good for 4 years 11 months. If I had paid attention to how long it was valid for, I should have maybe waited till march to send it in, but it's a trade off I guess.

[Ameer]

You're right. It is a trade off. If you get it before your birthday, you have to renew a year earlier. Renewals cost $70 and are good for 5 years, so by one calculation the down side to an early issue is $14. The up side to an an early issue depends on if you're in a situation before your birthday where you need to use your concealed handgun. (Assuming you don't have another state's license for reciprocity.)