State of Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles

Requirements for Naturalized and Non-U.S. Citizens 


NEW PROCESS: You will not receive a permanent driver license or ID card while at a DMV service location.  It will arrive through the mail.  You will keep your expiring license/ID and receive a temporary paper card.  For more on this, please see Central Issuance.
 
Non-U.S. Citizens seeking a first-time Connecticut Learner's Permit or Driver's License must go to a DMV Hub Office.

 

Commercial Driver License (CDL) and Commercial Learner Permit (CLP) applicants:  Additional identity requirements.  Find more information here.

Drive Only Applicants: If you would like to apply for a Drive Only License (for undocumented individuals), please follow these instructions.

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 (www.cbp.gov/I94) to obtain a hard copy of your I-94 document.  This document must be presented to the DMV along with all other required documents.  See Acceptable Forms of Identification.

To be eligible, you are required to prove:

  1. Identity:  Please refer to The Document Checklist for Identity Verification for acceptable forms of identification;
  2. Legal presence in the United States. If you were not born in The United States, and you do not provide the DMV with a valid US 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 ten days or more and applicants may be asked to return to the same DMV office when the immigration results have been approved; and
  3. Connecticut Residence:  Please refer to The Document Checklist for Identity Verification for required forms of proof of Connecticut residency.
  4. Please see additional information for these specific circumstances:
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) with the category of C-33, but do not have a valid passport or other "primary" document from the The Document Checklist for Identity Verification, may be eligible to receive a regular (non-verified) 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 SAVE results. 
 
Diplomats must obtain a license from the U.S. Department of State, Office of Foreign Affairs, 866 United Nations Plaza, Suite 265, New York, N.Y. 10017.  For more information, please call the Office of Foreign Affairs at 212-826-4500.
 
Applicants with an A1, A2, G1 or G4 immigration classification must provide a letter from the Department of State indicating that he or she is not eligible to participate in the U.S. Department of State's driver licensing program.
 
License Holders from U.S. Territories, Canada, Germany, France or Puerto Rico:
A license from American Samoa, Guam or U.S. Virgin Islands is the same as an out-of-state license.  However, you must obtain an abstract of your driver record from your home territory prior to transferring your license to Connecticut.
 
A valid license from Canada, Germany or France can also be transferred to Connecticut using the same procedures for an out-of-state license.
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 credential.

The DMV will waive the requirement for an applicant to present an abstract 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 must be shown.


Note: A license from Puerto Rico is the same as an out-of-state license (same requirements as above), 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.