New Georgia Residents

General Information

You must apply for a Georgia driver's license or permit within 30 days of becoming a Georgia resident if you wish to drive upon the highways of this state. Please see Section 1: General Licensing Information for more information about requirements to obtain a license or permit and exemptions for certain individuals.

New Georgia Resident Without a Valid License or Permit Issued by Another State

Please see the appropriate chapter of this manual for obtaining a license or permit for the first time in Georgia.

  • Under 18 – see Teen Licensing Requirements in Section 6: Teen Driving Laws;
  • 18 or Older – See information under the heading "Requirement to Obtain to Georgia Driver's License" for complete requirements..

Transferring from Another State or District of Columbia

Under Age 18 with valid out of state license or permit

If you hold a valid driver's license or instructional permit issued by any other state of the United States or by the District of Columbia, you will normally be eligible to obtain a comparable license or permit issued by Georgia. All Georgia requirements including school registration, driver education and ADAP are required before the out of state license can be transferred.

18 or Older with a valid out of state license or permit

  • You must surrender a valid license issued by another state or territory of the United States or by the District of Columbia (expired less than 2 years). If you are unable to surrender a valid driver's license, you must present a certified Motor Vehicle Report/Driving History from the state of issuance, dated within 30 days, showing your status as valid. Non-citizens are not required to surrender their foreign non-commercial license or permit;
  • Be at least 18 years of age, or 17 years of age if surrendering a valid license equivalent to a Georgia Class C license with no time, route, purpose or passenger restrictions;
  • You must know your full Social Security Number which will be verified with the Social Security Administration.
  • Provide proof of identity. For a complete list of acceptable documents, see information under the heading "Real ID Documentation Requirements";
  • Provide proof of citizenship or lawful pres­ence in the United States (see information under the heading "Real ID Documentation Requirements"). All documents must be originals or certified copies. Faxed copies will not be accepted;
  • Provide two documents to prove Georgia residency. For a complete list of acceptable documents, see information under the heading "Real ID Documentation Requirements".
  • Pass a vision test.

Transferring a License/Permit/ID From Another Country or U.S. Territory

  • If you do not have the out of country license/permit/ID in your possession, you must provide a Motor Vehicle Report/Driving History (printed in English) dated within the last 30 days, from the country of license issuance;
  • Most non-citizen customers with a valid out of country driver's license, permit, or ID may retain their out of country document upon issuance of a Georgia-equivalent document. U.S. citizens will not be allowed to retain any licenses, permits, or identification cards issued to them by foreign countries;
  • Successfully complete the knowledge, road, and vision exams;
  • Present mandatory documents to prove identity, citizenship or lawful presence, Social Security Number, and residency. See information under the heading "Real ID Documentation Requirements" for the complete list;
  • If under the age of 18, additional requirements will apply. Please see Section 6: Teen Driving Licenses for more details on teen licensing requirements;
  • Licenses, permits and IDs issued outside the District of Columbia or any other state of the United States are non-transferable. A customer holding any document issued outside of the 50 States or District of Columbia must complete the full process for issuance of a new document in Georgia, including all tests required for the class being requested, if applicable.
  • Citizens of certain foreign countries may be exempt from knowledge and skills testing. For a list, visit the DDS website.

Danger: All DMVs are Not Alike!

Beware of fake DMV websites that charge for training materials or informational material. Most customers arrive at these sites by doing a browser search for "Georgia DMV," "Georgia License Renewal" or similar generic searches.

Please read the pages of these sites carefully, because by law they are required to inform users that the site is not affiliated with any State or Government Entity.

They are privately owned sites that will have .com or .org at the end of their website address (url). The official state of Georgia websites will have .gov as is the case with www.dds.georgia.gov.