Transfer Your License to NY: Moving Guide

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If you move to New York, you must get a New York driver license within 30 days of becoming a resident. If you hold a license from another US state, a US territory or a Canadian province, you can usually swap it at a DMV office with only a vision test. If your license is from any other country, you take the written test, the 5-hour pre-licensing course and the road test. This guide covers both routes, the documents you need, when you cannot exchange, and registering and insuring your car.

Key facts

Deadline: 30 days after you become a New York resident. Living in New York for 90 days is treated as presumptive evidence that you are a resident.
Licenses from US states, territories and Canada: exchange in person with a vision test, if the license meets the rules below.
Licenses from other countries: written test, 5-hour pre-licensing course and road test.
Your car: register it in New York within 30 days, with New York insurance.

Do you need a New York license at all?

Only if you become a New York resident. A visitor with a valid license from another state or country can drive legally in New York.

Students from other states or countries who attend school in New York are normally not treated as residents, so they do not need to exchange their license.

If you are under 18 and visiting on an out-of-state learner permit or junior license, you must follow New York’s junior restrictions as well as your home state’s. If you are under 16, you cannot drive in New York even with an out-of-state license.

Exchanging an out-of-state or Canadian license

Does your license qualify?

Your current license, from another US state or territory, a federal district or a Canadian province, must:

have your photograph
be valid, or have expired less than 24 months ago (the DMV exchange page; the printed Driver’s Manual still says expired no more than one year, so if yours expired between one and two years ago, confirm with the DMV before your visit)
have been issued at least 6 months before you apply. The exception is a commercial license, which can have been valid for any length of time.

If the license does not show its issue date, get a certified driving record or a letter from the issuing state that shows it. If you cannot, you must apply for a new, original New York license. If your license does not meet these rules, the manual says you must also pass the written and road tests and complete the pre-licensing (safe driving) course.

When you cannot exchange

Problem	What to do
License suspended or revoked	Clear the suspension or revocation first, then bring a valid license.
Hardship or employment-only license	Cannot be exchanged.
Marked “non-renewable” or “non-transferable”	Cannot be exchanged.
Lost or stolen	Get a replacement photo license from your old state, or an original letter or certified driver abstract on its letterhead, issued within 30 days before you apply.

The letter or abstract must show your name, address, date of birth, license number, license class, any restrictions, any convictions, suspensions or revocations, the issue date and the expiry date of your latest license. It does not count as proof of identity or date of birth.

How to exchange, step by step

Get pre-screened online. The DMV pre-screening tool tells you which forms and documents to bring and lets you fill out the application (MV-44). You can also send your documents for review before your visit.
Choose a license type: Standard, REAL ID or Enhanced. See REAL ID and your first US driver’s license.
Gather your proofs: proof of name and date of birth (the ID-44 form lists what counts), and your Social Security card.
Go to a DMV office in person. The exchange cannot be done online or by mail.
Pass the vision test, or bring a completed Eye Test Report (MV-619) from an authorized provider.
Surrender your out-of-state license and pay the fee. Check the current fee on the DMV fees page before you go.
Drive on the temporary document. You get a temporary non-photo license. Allow 2 weeks for the card to arrive by mail. It is valid for up to 5 years.

You normally cannot hold a New York license and another state’s license at the same time.

Moving to New York with a license from another country

If your license is from a country other than Canada, you cannot simply swap it. To get a New York license you must:

apply for a learner permit, pass the vision test and pass the written test (see New York DMV permit test)
complete the 5-hour pre-licensing course
pass the New York road test.

The DMV pages on licenses from other countries and on moving to New York do not list any foreign license exchange agreements. If you have heard that your country has one, ask the DMV before you book anything.

Driving on your foreign license while you wait

A valid foreign license lets you drive without a supervising driver on any road, bridge or tunnel, except inside a DMV road test area.
If you have a New York learner permit but no valid foreign license, the law requires a supervising driver who is 21 or older and licensed for the vehicle.
If your license is not in English, bring an International Driving Permit or a certified translation to the road test. The translation must be certified by a consulate, the US Department of State or another official government agency. It must show your name, date of birth, the license expiry date and the vehicle types you can drive.

What happens to your foreign license

When you pass the road test, you hand your foreign license to the examiner. It is destroyed unless you give the examiner a written request to keep it on file at a DMV office. If it is kept, you can have it back, but only after you return your New York license.

Citizenship and license type

You do not need to be a US citizen to get a New York license.
Non-citizens can get a Standard license.
Non-citizens with proof of lawful presence can get a REAL ID.
Only US citizens can get an Enhanced license.
Temporary visitors with a REAL ID get a card marked “TEMPORARY VISITOR” that expires on their DHS document date.

Registering and insuring your car in New York

Deadline: as a new resident, register your vehicle in New York within 30 days. You must be at least 16 to register a vehicle.
Application: complete form MV-82 and show proof of ownership, New York insurance and sales tax payment, plus proof of name and date of birth.
Insurance: a vehicle registered in New York must have New York insurance. The DMV never accepts out-of-state insurance for a New York-registered vehicle.
Minimum liability cover: $25,000 for injury to one person and $50,000 for injury to two or more, $50,000 for the death of one person and $100,000 for the death of two or more, and $10,000 for property damage.
Inspection: New York vehicles need an inspection at a state-licensed station. Ask the DMV how the rules apply to your out-of-state vehicle.

Anyone driving in New York, residents and non-residents alike, must be able to prove the vehicle has acceptable liability insurance. Driving uninsured means revocation of your license or driving privilege for at least one year.

Common questions

How long do I have to transfer my license to New York?

30 days from becoming a resident. The DMV treats living in New York for 90 days as presumptive evidence of residency.

Do I have to take a road test to transfer my license to New York?

Not if your US or Canadian license is a photo license that is valid (or expired less than 24 months ago) and was issued at least 6 months ago. The DMV’s licence exchange page allows a licence that expired less than 24 months ago, but the online Driver’s Manual says a licence that expired more than a year ago means sitting the tests, so check directly with the DMV before you apply. Licenses from other countries need the written test, course and road test.

Can I exchange my license online?

No. The exchange is in person at a DMV office, but you can get pre-screened online first.

Can I keep my old state’s license?

You must surrender it at the exchange. Normally you cannot hold licenses from New York and another state at the same time.

I just got my license in another state. Can I exchange it?

Only if it was issued at least 6 months before you apply. If it is newer, plan for the written test, the pre-licensing course and the road test.

Can I drive in New York on my foreign license as a resident while I wait for my road test?

The DMV says a valid foreign license lets you drive without a supervisor anywhere except a road test area, and that you do not need a New York license unless you become a resident. Once you are a resident, the 30-day rule applies, so start the process early.

Related guides

Sources

New York State DMV, “Exchange Out of State Driver License” (dmv.ny.gov)
New York State DMV, “Drivers from Other Countries” (dmv.ny.gov)
New York State DMV, “Moving to or from New York State” (dmv.ny.gov)
New York State DMV, “New York State Driver’s Manual, Chapter 1: Driver Licenses” (dmv.ny.gov)
New York State DMV, “New York State Driver’s Manual, Chapter 3: Owning a Vehicle” (dmv.ny.gov)

Transfer Your License to NY: Out-of-State and Foreign Licenses