Pursuant to Executive Order No. 2 by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo , all licenses and registrations for New York State military personnel returning from active military duty relating to the war on terrorism and military action in Iraq will automatically be extended. The following information will help minimize any potential inconvenience upon their return. 

What happens if my NY State driver license expires while I am on active duty? 
NY State law automatically extends license privileges throughout active military service for up to 6 months after discharge or separation. Discharged or separated military personnel may renew an expired NY State license up to two years after the extended expiration. No more than 30 months may have passed since discharge 6-month extension plus 24 -month grace period. Active military personnel must show proof of date of entry into military service. If the NY State license was valid at any time during your military service , your license can be renewed. A discharged serviceman must show a Certificate of Discharge, DD-214. You must have been discharged within the past 30 months. If the NY State license was valid at any time during your military service , your license can be renewed. 

Am I required to notify DMV of my entry into the military? 
While not required , it is suggested that military personnel file a Notification of Military Service pdf [1] MV -75 to ensure that the license record is not purged once the expiration date has passed. 

What happens if my NY State registration expires while I am on active duty? 
Registrations are extended for up to 60 days from return to New York State. This extension applies only to vehicles registered to military personnel. You must show proof of military service or separation. Liability insurance coverage must be maintained at all times, including the period of extension. 

What happens if I had a lapse of insurance coverage during active duty? 
You are required to maintain continuous coverage or surr

user: Am I required to notify DMV of my entry into the military? 

assistant: Are you entering into the military? 

user: I am not.  I am actually asking for my son who will be leaving for basic training next month. 

user: if my son's license is valid now, what will happen if it expires while he is in the military? 

assistant: If his NY State license was valid at any time during his military service, his license will be able to be renewed. 

user: What happens if my son has a lapse of insurance coverage during his period of active duty? 

assistant: He is required to maintain continuous coverage or to surrender his plates before any deployments. 

assistant: Is he unable to ensure that he will maintain continuous coverage or to surrender his plates now, before he departs for basic training? 

user: That is correct.  He is unable to pay forward enough on his policy to ensure it would give him continuous coverage for the period he will be gone and he is unable to get to the DMV during business hours to surrender the plates at this time. 

assistant: Basic training is not a deployment.  The DMV does have a procedure in place to exempt military personnel from the requirements, however the procedure pertains to returning from deployment.