• Students must be enrolled full-time and pay the SEVIS fee to apply for a driver’s license. If not, there will be significant problems and delays with your application.

• Students must wait patiently to ensure that their SEVIS record has been registered in SEVIS. SEVIS class registration takes place approximately one week AFTER the add/drop period occurs to allow ISSO to confirm your final class registration for the semester.

• Students and Scholars who have a driver’s license from their home country may be exempt from the driving skills test. The DMV requires that you present the originals of all immigration documents: passport, printout of your I-94 Arrival/Departure record and I-20 or DS-2019. Your passport or I-20/DS-2019 CANNOT expire less than 60 days from the date of application. If these documents expire in less than 60 days, you cannot apply. Be sure to bring your driver’s license from your home country to present to the officer at the DMV as it may exempt you from the driving test.

• Fill-out an application form at the DMV.

• If you do not have a Social Security Number (SSN) and are not in the process of applying for one, mark on the DMV application that you are not eligible for a SSN. You are only eligible for a SSN if you have a job offer for authorized paid on-campus or off-campus employment.

• You must wait at least 30 days before calling the DMV office to inquire about your application. Most licenses will be issued within two weeks of the appointment. They cannot assist you before the 30-day window ends.

Students on OPT who wish to renew their driver’s license are required to obtain a Social Security Number (SSN). Without a SSN, the DMV will not approve of the driver’s license extension.

• First, take your OPT EAD card and F-1 documents to the Social Security Office to get a SSN.

• Then take your SSN, EAD card and F-1 documents to the DMV to obtain a license. You must also wait until the start date on your EAD card to submit your driver’s license application for it to be accepted.