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Please note:

Get your REAL ID by May 7, 2025: A REAL ID is a verified driver’s license or identification (ID) card that’s a federally accepted form of identification, sometimes referred to as a verified ID. Learn more.

Boat decals: Boat decals for the year 2026 will be distributed in April.


Get a driver’s license

Follow the steps below to get a Connecticut state driver’s license

Get a driver’s license

Follow the steps below to get a Connecticut state driver’s license

How do I get a driver’s license in Connecticut?

Getting a Connecticut state driver’s license is a simple and straightforward process, whether you are new to driving or an experienced driver who is new to Connecticut. Our aim is to make the process as easy as possible for you—please see below for specific steps.


Three steps to get your new driver’s license: 
  1. Apply for a learner’s permit. To get your permit, you must pass a vision and written knowledge test in person at the DMV. You can watch this video to learn how to prepare for the knowledge test, which is based on the Connecticut driver’s manual. Note: Out-of-state learner’s permits are not transferable. 
  2. You will need to hold your permit for a specific amount of time and fulfill certain training requirements before you take your road test (or “driving test”). You need to pass an eight-hour Drug and Alcohol Safety Program (D.A.S.P.), and/or complete additional behind-the-wheel driver training. 
  3. Pass your road test (or “driving test”) and receive your new license in the mail.

Note: Your non-commercial driver’s license is valid for six-and-half to eight-and-a-half years and expires on your birthday. The exact timeframe of your license depends on when it was issued and your date of birth.

Ready to get your driver’s license?
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  • Requirements for naturalized and non-U.S. citizens
  • Applying for a commercial learner’s permit (CLP) or new hazmat endorsement
  • Applying for a drive-only license
  • Federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA or DREAM ACT)
  • Diplomats
  • Requirements for driver’s license holders from U.S. territories, Canada, Germany, France, or Puerto Rico
  • Getting an international driver permit
  • Acceptable forms of identification for naturalized and non-U.S. citizens
  • Getting a driver’s license for the first time if you’re 18 years of age or older
  • Overview: Types of Connecticut licenses and how to get them

Requirements for naturalized and non-U.S. citizens

Eligibility requirements:

IMPORTANT: Documented individuals arriving in the U.S. with an I-94 stamp in your passport must visit the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website to obtain a hard copy of your I-94 document. Present this document to the DMV along with all other required documents. Please see below for acceptable forms of identification for non-U.S. citizens. 

To be eligible, you’re required to prove: 

Identity: Please refer to the document checklist (English version (PDF) | Spanish version (PDF) for acceptable forms of identification. 

Legal presence in the United States: If you were not born in the U.S. and you don’t provide the DMV with a valid U.S. passport, then your immigration status will be verified through the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlement Program (SAVE). This includes applicants with certificates of citizenship and naturalization. Verification of legal status with USCIS may take 10 days or more, and applicants may be asked to return to the same DMV office when the immigration results have been approved. 

Connecticut Residence: Please refer to Section 3 of the document checklist (English version (PDF) | (Spanish version (PDF) for required forms of proof of Connecticut residency. 



NEW PROCESS:
 

Non-U.S. citizens seeking a first-time Connecticut learner's permit or driver's license must go to a DMV hub office

Note that you will not receive a permanent driver’s license or ID card while at a DMV location. It will arrive in the mail. You will keep your expiring driver’s license/ID and receive a temporary paper card. For more details, please see Central Issuance.

Applying for a commercial learner’s permit (CLP) or new hazmat endorsement

Review the new federal identification requirements for commercial driver licenses and permits, as well as the CLP entry-level driver training requirements

Note: Non-U.S. citizens must show proof of legal presence in the United States and present a valid employment authorization document to be eligible for a CDL or CLP. If you are not a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident, you will be issued a non-domicile CDL or CLP.

Applying for a drive-only license

You may be eligible for a drive-only license if you have the formal documents required by the drive-only license document checklist (English version (PDF) | Spanish version (PDF) and can’t establish legal presence in the United States or don't have a Social Security Number. 


If you would like to apply for a drive-only license (for undocumented individuals), please review the process for getting a drive-only license.


Note: U.S. citizens, documented immigrants, and non-immigrants, including B1/B2, waiver-tourist (WT), or waiver-business (WB) visitor status with unexpired U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) documents, are not eligible to apply for a drive-only license.

Federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA or DREAM ACT)

Please review federal eligibility for this program. Applicants who present an I-94 or a valid Employee Authorization Card (EAC), but do not have a valid passport or other primary document as outlined in the identification document checklist (English version (PDF) | Spanish version (PDF) may be eligible to receive a regular, non-verified (i.e., not considered a REAL ID) driver's license or non-driver ID card. The I-94 or the EAC will serve as a primary form of identification. Applicants must provide a valid, signed Social Security card along with two different pieces of address verification dated within 90 days. Issuance is contingent on valid results of the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlement Program (SAVE).

 

Please note: DMV now accepts all Employment Authorization Cards, with any category listed, as a primary identity document. Applicants may be eligible to receive a regular, non-verified (i.e., not considered a REAL ID) driver's license or non-driver ID card if they meet the requirements outlined in the identification document checklist linked above.

Diplomats

Diplomats must obtain a license from the U.S. Department of State, Office of Foreign Missions located at: 

 

OFM New York
799 United Nations Plaza, 8th floor
New York, NY 10017

For more information, please call the Office of Foreign Missions at (646) 282-2825 or e-mail OFMNewYork@state.gov.

  • CT DMV applicants with an A1, A2, G1 or G4 immigration classification must provide a letter from the Department of State indicating that they are not eligible to participate in the U.S. Department of State's driver licensing program. Contact the Office of Foreign Missions New York Regional Office for assistance.

Office of Foreign Missions - FAQs - United States Department of State

Requirements for driver’s license holders from U.S. territories, Canada, Germany, France, or Puerto Rico

Non-U.S. citizens who want to get a first-time Connecticut learner's permit or driver's license must go to a DMV hub office to apply in person. Locate your closest DMV hub office.


U.S. territories:

Licenses from American Samoa, Guam, or the U.S. Virgin Islands are considered an out-of-state license. However, you must obtain an history of your driver record, known as an abstract, from your home territory prior to transferring your license to Connecticut.

The DMV will waive the requirement for an applicant to present his or her driving history when transferring a non-CDL license from Guam for active-duty military personnel and their family members. The applicant's military identification or the family member's dependent identification is required.

Note: The Marshall Islands are no longer a territory of the U.S. Residents of the Marshall Islands must provide proper immigration documents to be eligible for a Connecticut DMV-issued license.


Puerto Rico:

A driver’s license from Puerto Rico is also considered an out-of-state license. However, the DMV office you visit will verify your Puerto Rico license with your home territory prior to transferring your Puerto Rico license to Connecticut. The DMV will notify you via mail of your Puerto Rico license status. The letter that you receive from the DMV will provide you with information on how to proceed with the licensing transaction.


Canada, Germany, or France:

A valid driver’s license from Canada, Germany, or France countries can also be transferred to Connecticut using the same process as an out-of-state license.

Note: If you are from another country not listed here, you are not able to transfer a driver’s license from your country to Connecticut. You’ll need to get an adult learner’s permit prior to getting a Connecticut driver’s license.

Getting an international driver permit

An international driver permit (or IDP) is essentially an English translation of a foreign-language license that was issued by a country outside of the U.S. An international driver permit can only be obtained in the country that issued the actual license.


Important:

An IDP alone is not considered a valid license; it must accompany the valid foreign license.


Students and visitors to Connecticut:

Connecticut permits a student or visitor to operate a motor vehicle in Connecticut for up to one year with a foreign license. If the license is in a language other than English or Spanish, the license must be accompanied by an IDP, which serves as an English translation of the foreign license.

 

Note: Out-of-country licenses are not acceptable as a form of identification.


Connecticut residents traveling abroad:

If you hold a Connecticut driver's license and will be traveling abroad for an extended stay in a non-English speaking country and you plan to operate a motor vehicle there, you can obtain an IDP by contacting your local Automobile Association of America (AAA).

Acceptable forms of identification for naturalized and non-U.S. citizens

If you are not a U.S.-born citizen, you will be required to show proof of your legal status in this country. The DMV will verify your legal status with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

 

Note: Verification of legal status with USCIS may take ten days or more and applicants may be asked to return to the same DMV office when the immigration results have been approved.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services document(s) below must be presented to the DMV along with all other requirements as outlined in the document checklist: English version (PDF) | Spanish version (PDF)


Required U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services documents (must be valid and unexpired):
  • Certificate of Citizenship*
  • Naturalization Certificate*
  • Permanent Resident (Green) Card
  • Machine Readable Immigrant Visa (with Temporary I-551 Language)
  • Temporary I-551 Stamp (on passport or I-94 form)
  • Employment Authorization Card
  • I-94 (Arrival/Departure Record) in Unexpired Foreign Passport**
  • DS2019 - Exchange Visitor Certificate (J-1)
  • I-20 - Nonimmigrant Student Certificate (F-1)
  • Refugee Travel Document

* Citizens with older certificates may have to wait several weeks to be verified through USCIS. Please visit a DMV hub office as soon as you receive your renewal notice. If you can provide a valid U.S. passport, you will not need to be verified through USCIS.

** Individuals arriving in the U.S. with an I-94 stamp in your passport must visit the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website to obtain a hard copy of your I-94 document.


Other Requirements:
  • All immigration documents must be valid at the time of Issuance.
  • Immigration checks are only valid for one year (unless you were verified with a Certificate of Naturalization or Certificate of Citizenship).
  • People with a B1/B2, waiver-tourist (WT), or waiver-business (WB) visitor status are NOT eligible to obtain a Connecticut credential.
  • Foreign students with an F1 Visa status are required to show their passport, along with USCIS document I-20.
  • J1 Visa holders are required to show their passport, along with USCIS document DS2019.
  • Dependents of principal, child, or spouse may have to provide principal’s documents.

Getting a driver’s license for the first time if you’re 18 years of age or older

Adults 18 years of age and older who want to get a Connecticut driver's license are required to first get an adult learner's permit. Learn more about how to get an adult learner’s permit, including required training and fees, as well as when you’re able to make an appointment online to take the on-the-road skills test. 

Note: Road testing is only offered at DMV hub offices. Learn more about the on-the-road-skills test, including what you need to bring and what the test will evaluate.

Download the Guide to Passing Your Driving Test (Document Z-17) prior to your road test appointment for additional information.

Overview: Types of Connecticut licenses and how to get them

Please review the different Connecticut license options below for more information:


Getting a driver’s license

1. Verified driver's license:

a. Residents 16 or 17 years of age
b. Residents 18 years of age and older

2. Drive-only license:

a. Undocumented individuals (all ages)


Transferring your license to Connecticut

Learn more about transferring a current driver’s license to a Connecticut license from out of state.


Getting a motorcycle license

1. Find out how to get a motorcycle license, or “endorsement.” 
2. Find out how to get a motorcycle learner’s permit.

 

Note: You must possess a valid Connecticut driver’s license before you can get a motorcycle license. Additional fees are required.


Getting a commercial driver's license

1. Learn more about the process to get a commercial driver's license (CDL).