Photo: Trooper First Class Pratz, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
If you move to Georgia, you have 30 days after becoming a resident to apply for a Georgia driver’s license. Most adults with a valid out-of-state license only need a vision exam and documents. Teens have to meet Georgia’s own teen rules first. This guide covers adults, teens, US territory licenses and foreign licenses, using the Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS) rules as of November 2026.
Key facts
- Deadline: apply within 30 days of becoming a Georgia resident.
- Valid out-of-state license (or one expired 2 years or less): vision exam only, no knowledge or road test.
- Expired more than 2 years: knowledge, road and vision exams, plus a certified driving record.
- Under 18: Georgia’s school enrollment, driver education and ADAP requirements apply before your license transfers.
- Licenses from other countries do not transfer, except where Georgia has a reciprocity arrangement.
When do you count as a Georgia resident?
Under Georgia law you are a resident if any one of these applies:
- You have a permanent home in Georgia and intend to return when you are away.
- You take a job or run a business in Georgia, or you enroll your children in a Georgia school.
- You have been in Georgia for 30 days or more.
The 30-day clock to get a Georgia license or permit starts when you become a resident.
Who does not need a Georgia license
- Nonresidents aged 16 or older carrying a valid license from their home state or country. Georgia’s legal restrictions for your age still apply to you.
- Active-duty military who are not Georgia residents, with a valid home-state license. This also covers a spouse or dependent child with a valid home-state license.
- Out-of-state college students aged 16 or older who carry a valid home license, are enrolled in a Georgia school and have paid nonresident tuition, with proof of payment. If the license is not in English, you also need an international driving permit.
How to transfer an out-of-state driver’s license to Georgia (18 and older)
An “out-of-state” license means one from any of the other 49 states, the District of Columbia or a US territory. Any DDS Customer Service Center can do the transfer. To transfer a full license you must be 18, or 17 if your license is the equivalent of a Georgia Class C with no time, route, purpose or passenger restrictions.
| Your current license | What DDS requires |
|---|---|
| Valid, or expired for 2 years or less | Surrender the license, pass a vision exam, bring documents. No written or road test. |
| Expired for more than 2 years | Pass the knowledge, road and vision exams. Bring a certified driving record (MVR) from the issuing state, plus documents. |
| Lost or stolen | Pass a vision exam. Bring a certified MVR from the issuing state, plus documents. |
Steps
- Fill in the online License/ID/Permit Form before you go. DDS requires it, and keeps your details on file for 60 days.
- Gather your documents (see the checklist below).
- Visit a DDS Customer Service Center. Your Social Security number is checked with the Social Security Administration, and your details must match both agencies’ records.
- Pass the vision exam and have your photo taken.
- Pay the fee. A regular Class C license costs $32 for 8 years (as of November 2026). Centers take cash, credit and debit cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay.
DDS hole-punches your old license and gives it back to you with an interim license. The hole-punched card is not valid for driving.
Document checklist
- Proof of identity (1 document) for US citizens, such as a certified US birth certificate or an unexpired US passport or passport card.
- Proof of name change if your name differs from your identity document, for example a certified marriage certificate or court order.
- Your full Social Security number, entered on the online form.
- Proof of Georgia residency (2 documents) from separate sources, showing your name and current home address. P.O. boxes do not count. Examples are a signed lease, a utility bill from the last 6 months, or a bank statement from the last 6 months.
- Non-US citizens: immigration documents proving identity and lawful status, brought in person.
All documents must be in English, and DDS does not accept translated documents. For a lost card, DDS does not accept uncertified printouts from a website, but the other state’s agency can fax the record straight to DDS. REAL ID document rules apply too: see REAL ID and your first US driver’s license.
Teens moving to Georgia
Georgia does not simply swap a teen’s license from another state. What happens depends on what you hold now.
No license or permit from another state
You follow the same process as any Georgia teen: a Class CP permit from 15, then a Class D at 16. Start with Georgia instructional permit at 15.
Out-of-state learner’s permit
- You must meet all Georgia learner’s permit requirements, including school enrollment proof and a responsible adult to sign.
- No knowledge test is required to transfer a non-commercial permit, but you must pass a vision exam.
- Your time on the out-of-state permit counts toward Georgia’s one year and one day permit period before a Class D.
Out-of-state provisional or full license (under 18)
You will normally be eligible for a comparable Georgia license. First, though, you must meet all of Georgia’s teen requirements:
- proof of school enrollment
- Georgia-approved driver education (Joshua’s Law)
- the ADAP alcohol and drug course (ADAP and eADAP)
- a parent, guardian or responsible adult to sign
Because other states set different teen rules, DDS asks families to check their case with the Customer Contact Center on (678) 413-8400.
Driver education from another state
DDS says a Class D needs driver education from a Georgia Certified Driver Training School. The one exception is for children of active-duty US military parents. They can use an out-of-state driver training certificate if they move to Georgia within 9 months of their 16th birthday. Bring the parent’s military orders as proof.
Scenario: moving at 16 with a permit
Jordan held a permit in another state for 8 months before moving to Atlanta. Jordan transfers the permit with a vision exam and no knowledge test. The 8 months count, so Jordan can apply for a Class D once the total reaches one year and one day. Jordan still needs Georgia driver education, ADAP and the 40 supervised hours (40-hour guide) before the road test.
Licenses from US territories
Since February 6, 2020, Georgia has waived the knowledge and road tests for licenses from Puerto Rico, Guam, the US Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands and Saipan. The license must be valid, or expired for less than 2 years, and you must meet the normal identity requirements. If you do not have the card, bring a certified driving history from the territory.
Can you transfer a foreign license to Georgia?
Usually not. DDS says licenses issued outside the 50 states and DC are non-transferable, so you complete the full process: knowledge, road and vision exams, plus identity, lawful presence, Social Security and residency documents.
- Visitors: you can drive on a valid foreign license until you become a resident. An officer may ask for your passport or visa to check that the license is valid.
- Reciprocity: Georgia recognizes licenses from countries with a reciprocal agreement with DDS, and the license must be equivalent to a Georgia Class C. DDS names South Korea and Taiwan. A South Korean license with a License Certification Letter from the South Korean Consulate is exempt from the knowledge and road tests, but you must pass the vision exam. Check the current list and terms with DDS before you go.
- Missing card: bring a driving history printed in English, dated within the last 30 days, from the issuing country.
More on driving in the US with an overseas license: Driving in the US on a foreign license.
Common questions
How long do I have to get a Georgia license after moving?
30 days from becoming a Georgia resident.
Do I have to retake the driving test when I move to Georgia?
Not if your out-of-state license is valid or has been expired for 2 years or less. You only take the vision exam.
Does my out-of-state permit time count in Georgia?
Yes. Time held on an out-of-state permit counts toward the one year and one day Georgia requires before a Class D.
My teen did driver ed in another state. Does it count?
Only for children of active-duty military parents who move within 9 months of the teen’s 16th birthday. Otherwise you need a Georgia-certified course.
Can I keep my old license?
An out-of-state US license is hole-punched and handed back, and it is no longer valid for driving. Most non-US citizens can keep their foreign license. The rules for US citizens holding foreign licenses differ between DDS pages, so ask at the center.
Can I do the transfer online?
No. You fill in the form online, but the transfer itself is done in person at a Customer Service Center.
How do other states handle this?
See Moving to a new state: transferring your driver’s license.
Back to the main guide: Learning to drive in Georgia. Teen license rules: Georgia Class CP and Class D rules.
Sources
- Georgia Department of Driver Services, “Section 1: General Licensing Information”, Georgia Driver’s Manual (dds.georgia.gov)
- Georgia Department of Driver Services, “Section 2 Continued: Other License Types Continued” (New Georgia Residents), Georgia Driver’s Manual (dds.georgia.gov)
- Georgia Department of Driver Services, “Section 6 Continued” (Teens Moving to Georgia), Georgia Driver’s Manual (dds.georgia.gov)
- Georgia Department of Driver Services, “Transfer Out-of-State Driver’s License/ID” (dds.georgia.gov)
- Georgia Department of Driver Services, “New Georgia Residents and Out-of-State License Transfers” (dds.georgia.gov)
- Georgia Department of Driver Services, “Drivers From Other Nations” (dds.georgia.gov)
- Georgia Department of Driver Services, “Reciprocity for US Territories” (dds.georgia.gov)
- Georgia Department of Driver Services, “Information for Non-US Citizens” (dds.georgia.gov)
- Georgia Department of Driver Services, “Provisional License (Class D)” and “Learners Permit (Class CP)” (dds.georgia.gov)
- Georgia Department of Driver Services, “Driver Education FAQs” (dds.georgia.gov)
- Georgia Department of Driver Services, “License FAQs” (dds.georgia.gov)
- Georgia Department of Driver Services, “Fees and Terms” (dds.georgia.gov)