Do applicants have to prove age with original passport or birth certificate? Can these be used to buy alcohol?

Without a SSN, how can it be prevented for an individual having more than one license?

Will fingerprints be checked against criminal records?


If police do a traffic stop on an individual holding one of these licenses how will their legal right to not having to provide identification apply?

@PA Resident

Does Google not work where you are?

Web Link

Thanks Steve. That is a better page that the DMV page.

So will this make the roads any safer I wonder?

This law definitely will make roads safer. You must pass the drivers tests and buy auto insurance to get a license. In the past, unlicensed drivers would often hit-and-run because they didn't have licenses or insurance and hopefully much of that will stop now.

Of course, many US citizens are unlicensed and commit hit-and-runs, so this new law won't magically make our streets 100% safe, but it will help in many cases.

"you must pass the drivers(sic) tests and buy auto insurance to get a license" Is only half true. True, you must pass the driver's tests. False, you do NOT need to have insurance to have a license. And merely passing the DMV driving tests is not an indication of safe driving! Anyone simply able to aim the car and answer some basic questions qualifies. While having a license affords one the opportunity to purchase insurance, those predisposed to driving without it are still free to do so, although still facing that horrifying prospect of having their $500 POS car impounded.

>"you must pass the drivers tests and buy auto insurance to get a license" Is(sic) only half true.


There are companies that will sell insurance to people without a driver's license in California.

@Sparty:

Many of those policies are intended for special circumstances, like vehicles that do not use public roads (ATVs, agricultural/construction vehicles, go-karts, etc.) or for international drivers who possess a valid international driver's license, but haven't yet obtained a (U.S.) state license.

Note that the California DMV does not specifically require insurance for operators of vehicles on public roads. What they do require is proof of adequate financial means/responsibility. For Joe Consumer, yes, this means insurance, but one can file a bond with the state as proof of adequate financial means.

Ultimately, the DMV shouldn't care about your residency status. It has allowed foreigners to operate motor vehicles on public roads with a valid international driver's license and adequate proof of financial responsibility for decades.

[Post removed due to disrespectful comment or offensive language]

*Sigh*...we WERE having an actual discussion here...

Some misinformation floating around here. Liability insurance goes with the vehicle, not the driver.
Even if you have a license, you are still free to drive without insurance (or liability bond). But you might still get your $500 POS car impounded for driving an uninsured vehicle. Replacing a crapcan car is probably cheaper than buying insurance for a year...

People who move here legally from a foreign country are able to legally use their foreign license for a year before required to possess a valid CA license.

People who move here from another state, must get a CA license within a month.

People who rent a car have to show a license.

Steve--thanks for your uninformed comment. Are you deliberately trying to get people into trouble?! Actually, they can suspend your license for up to 4 YEARS if you drive a vehicle without liability insurance! And what happens if you drive on that suspended license? That's right...misdemeanor which could lead to big fines and/or JAIL!

Can you imagine living around here without the ability to drive? Very, very difficult.

"Actually, they can suspend your license for up to 4 YEARS if you drive a vehicle without liability insurance "

That's not the issue. The issue is that you can get a license without insurance.

"Can you imagine living around here without the ability to drive? Very, very difficult."

Not having a license does not magically take away one's ability to drive. Millions of people do it. The point of this law was to fix that.

"Uninformed comment"? What part, exactly, of my comments are uninformed?
And actually, I don't need to imagine living here without the ability to drive. I see it every day... yet they are still behind the wheel. Having a license has really very little to do with whether you are a competent driver.

Most of us have parents or grandparents who struggled through the process of applying, waiting, learning the language then becoming legal citizens under difficult circumstances. Then going to war, fighting and some dying to protect their United States. The bottom line is we stupid American's are now REWARDING illegal immigrant criminals who break and circumvent our laws.
How sad. Our ancestors would be ashamed of what we have become.