Photo: Paul Downey, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A California AB 60 driver’s license is a full California driving license for residents who can’t provide proof that their presence in the United States is authorized under federal law. You qualify if you can prove your identity and your California residency and you pass the same tests as every other first-time driver. This guide is for adults and teens applying under AB 60, and for parents helping them. It covers the documents the DMV accepts, the step-by-step process, Secondary Review, and what the license can’t be used for.
Key facts (California, as of November 2026)
- Law: Assembly Bill 60 (2013), which added section 12801.9 to the California Vehicle Code. It became operative by January 1, 2015.
- Who: people unable to provide proof of legal presence who meet all other licensing rules and can prove identity and California residency.
- Tests: the knowledge test (offered in more than 40 languages) and a behind-the-wheel drive test, plus the vision exam every applicant takes.
- Teens: applicants aged 15 to 17 1/2 must complete a driver education course.
- Limits: not acceptable for official federal purposes, so you can’t use it to board a domestic flight or enter secure federal facilities.
- No commercial licenses: the law does not let anyone get a commercial driver’s license without a Social Security number.
Who qualifies for an AB 60 license?
Under Vehicle Code section 12801.9, the DMV must issue an original driver’s license to a person who:
- is unable to submit satisfactory proof that their presence in the US is authorized under federal law,
- meets all other qualifications for a license (age, tests, and the teen rules if under 18), and
- provides satisfactory proof of identity and California residency.
If you can prove legal presence, you apply for a regular or REAL ID license instead. The DMV’s online AB 60 Checklist helps you check whether your documents qualify before you book.
What documents do you need for an AB 60 license?
You need proof of identity and proof of California residency. The DMV’s “AB 60 User Friendly Guide to Document Options” (form DL 1065) sets out three ways to prove identity. Choose one table.
Identity, Table A: one document
- A California driver’s license or ID card issued in or after October 2000.
- One of these Mexican documents, which the DMV verifies electronically with Mexico: the Federal Electoral Card (IFE Credencial para Votar, 2013 version), the National Electoral Institute card (INE Credencial para Votar, 2014 version), a Mexican passport issued in 2008 or later with a digital photo and signature, or a Matricula Consular (2014 or 2022 version).
- A valid foreign passport from the DMV’s approved list, plus a Social Security number that the Social Security Administration can verify electronically.
Identity, Table B: two documents
Two valid documents from the DMV’s approved list. The list includes national ID and consular cards from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Korea, Nicaragua, Paraguay and Peru, each in specific versions, plus an approved foreign passport. Table B is the route for passport holders who don’t have a verifiable Social Security number. Check the exact version of your card against form DL 1065 before your visit.
The approved passport list gives each country a cut-off issue year (for example, passports from Australia issued in 2005 or later, Canada 2010, China 2007). If your country isn’t on the list, you can still apply through Secondary Review.
Identity, Table C: Secondary Review
If you don’t have Table A or B documents, bring as many of these as you can. DMV investigators review them to verify who you are:
- school records from any public or private school, college or university that include your date of birth (a foreign school record must be sealed by the school and include your photo at the age it was issued)
- US government documents such as Form I-589 (asylum application), Form I-20 (F-1 or M-1 students), Form DS-2019 (J-1), court documents naming you as a party, income tax returns, or a driver’s license
- a marriage license, domestic partner registration or divorce decree
- a foreign passport, consular ID card, foreign national ID card or foreign driver’s license
- a photo ID card issued by the US government or a government within the US
- a birth certificate or adoption records
- any of the above that name your spouse, domestic partner, child, parent or legal guardian, as long as you also bring a document (birth certificate, adoption record, marriage license or partnership registration) that links you to them
A foreign driver’s license, marriage license or divorce decree that isn’t in English needs a certified translation or an affidavit of translation into English.
California residency: one document
The document must show your first and last name, and the address must match the mailing address on your application. Accepted examples from form DL 1065:
- a rental or lease agreement signed by the landlord and tenant, a deed or title, or a mortgage bill
- a home utility bill, including a cell phone bill
- school, medical, employment or faith-based documents
- insurance documents (medical, dental, vision, life, home, rental or vehicle)
- IRS or California Franchise Tax Board tax returns, or a property tax bill
- California vehicle or vessel title or registration
- a US Postal Service change of address confirmation (Form CNL 107)
- records of a financial institution, or other documents issued by a government within the US
Three options don’t need your mailing address: court documents listing you as a California resident; a letter on letterhead from a shelter, nonprofit, faith-based organization, employer or government agency saying you live in California; or a document addressed to a parent, guardian, child, spouse or domestic partner, together with the birth or marriage certificate that links you.
A general first-permit checklist for California is in California permit documents checklist.
How to apply for an AB 60 license, step by step
- Check your documents with the DMV’s AB 60 Checklist.
- Start the driver’s license application online through a MyDMV account.
- Study the California Driver’s Handbook (published in several languages).
- Book a DMV office appointment. At the office, go to the Start Here window, hand in your documents, have your photo taken, and take the vision exam and knowledge test.
- If your documents can’t be accepted on the spot, you get a Secondary Review Referral Notice (DL 209A). Complete the Secondary Review (below) before going further.
- Book and pass the behind-the-wheel drive test. Call 1-800-777-0133 if you need help scheduling or an interpreter.
- Your license arrives by mail.
Fees are the same as for any California license. Current amounts and booking tips: California license fees and test booking.
What happens at an AB 60 Secondary Review?
- Wait 5 business days after you receive the DL 209A, then request the review online through the DMV’s Secondary Review Request page or by calling (855) 421-1001. Your application can’t continue until you do.
- Within 30 days you get a letter with the date, time and office for your interview.
- The interview can take up to 1 hour. An investigator from the DMV’s Investigations Division reviews your documents, asks you questions and checks the photo taken at the office. All documents are returned to you.
- Language help is available. When you call, say which language you need.
- If your identity and residency are verified, a follow-up letter tells you how to continue. If they can’t be verified, the DMV ends the review by letter, and you have the right to request a hearing.
Which tests do AB 60 applicants take?
The same ones as everyone else. There is no separate or easier test.
| Test | What to know |
|---|---|
| Vision exam | Taken at the office visit |
| Knowledge test | Multiple choice on the California Driver’s Handbook; 80% to pass; available in more than 40 languages. See California DMV knowledge test and the free California permit practice test |
| Drive test | Behind the wheel with a DMV examiner. See California drive test critical driving errors |
If you are 15 to 17 1/2, you must also complete driver education, and the normal teen permit, practice and provisional rules apply. See California driver education and driver training. Adults starting from scratch: getting a California license at 18 or older.
What an AB 60 license can and can’t be used for
The 2013 law requires the card to carry this notice: “This card is not acceptable for official federal purposes. This license is issued only as a license to drive a motor vehicle. It does not establish eligibility for employment, voter registration, or public benefits.” The law has since been amended, so check the current card wording with the DMV.
| Use | AB 60 license? |
|---|---|
| Driving legally in California in the license class shown | Yes |
| Boarding a domestic flight | No. Since May 2025 you need a REAL ID or another document TSA accepts |
| Entering secure federal facilities, such as federal courthouses or military bases | No |
| Proving eligibility to work, to register to vote or to get public benefits | No |
| A commercial driver’s license (Class A or B) | Not available without a Social Security number |
| Driving in other states | Check each state first. Florida, for example, treats out-of-state licenses issued only to people who can’t prove lawful presence as invalid |
More on the federal rules: REAL ID and your first US driver’s license.
Legal protections for AB 60 license holders
- An AB 60 license can’t be used to consider your citizenship or immigration status as a basis for a criminal investigation, arrest or detention.
- Discriminating against someone because they hold or present an AB 60 license is unlawful, including under California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act.
- Information collected for an AB 60 application is not a public record and may not be disclosed by the DMV except as required by law.
Common questions
Do I need a Social Security number for an AB 60 license?
No. A Social Security number is needed only if you use a foreign passport alone under Table A. Without one, use two documents under Table B or go through Secondary Review.
Can I use an expired foreign passport?
Tables A and B call for valid documents. If yours has expired, bring it anyway as one of your Secondary Review documents, and contact your country’s consulate about a replacement.
Is the knowledge test available in Spanish?
Yes. It is offered in more than 40 languages. See permit tests in Spanish and other languages.
Can a 16-year-old get an AB 60 license?
Yes, under the same rules as any California teen: driver education if you are 15 to 17 1/2, a permit, supervised practice and the drive test.
Can I fly with an AB 60 license?
No. It is not acceptable for official federal purposes. Use a passport or another document TSA accepts.
What if my documents are rejected?
You will be referred to Secondary Review. If DMV still can’t verify your identity or residency, you can request a hearing.
Which other states issue similar licenses?
See driver’s licenses regardless of immigration status. Full route for California learners: learning to drive in California.
Sources
- California DMV, “Assembly Bill (AB) 60 Driver Licenses” (dmv.ca.gov)
- California DMV, “AB 60 User Friendly Guide to Document Options to Obtain a California Driver’s License” (DL 1065) (dmv.ca.gov)
- California DMV, “Driver’s License Secondary Review Referral Process” (dmv.ca.gov)
- California DMV, “The Real Difference Between REAL ID and Federal Non-Compliant” (DL 1010 D) (dmv.ca.gov)
- California Legislature, “AB 60, Chapter 524, Statutes of 2013” (Vehicle Code sections 12801.9 and 12801.10) (leginfo.ca.gov)
- Florida Legislature, “Florida Statutes s. 322.033, Invalid out-of-state driver licenses” (leg.state.fl.us)