Massachusetts driver's license and ID for new residents

Step 1 — Know there is no grace period

In Massachusetts, the Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) licenses drivers (RMV). Remember the name: it helps you spot fake sites.

Visitors may drive here if they are at least 16 and carry a valid home-country license for the same vehicle type (RMV — Driving on a foreign license). A license not in English needs an International Driving Permit (IDP) or an accepted English translation (RMV — Driving on a foreign license).

Moving here changes the rule: once you are a resident, you need a Massachusetts license, with no grace period (RMV — Driver’s Manual). A Massachusetts license or ID is issued only to residents, not to people here temporarily who keep their legal residence elsewhere (RMV — Driver’s Manual). IDPs and REAL ID in general: our national guide to licenses and state IDs.

Step 2 — Check if your license can be converted

The RMV has arrangements with Canada, Mexico, the U.S. territories, South Korea, Germany, France and Taiwan (RMV — Foreign license). If you hold a valid license from one of them and become a resident, you can convert it without a written or road test (RMV — Foreign license).

Each country has its own list (RMV — Converting foreign licenses). For South Korea, Germany, France and Taiwan, you must be 18 or older and bring a Social Security number, or a Social Security denial notice with proof of visa status and your I-94; any visa must show an authorized stay of at least 12 months (RMV — Converting foreign licenses). You also need a recent certified driving record, and for Germany you book by calling 857-368-8110 (RMV — Converting foreign licenses). Our I-94 guide shows how to get your I-94.

From any other country, you can’t convert: you apply as a new driver, with the ID requirements, the learner’s permit exam and a road test (RMV — Foreign license). From another U.S. state, you transfer at a Service Center by appointment, without tests if your license is active or expired less than a year (RMV — Out-of-state license).

Step 3 — Choose your card

• License or Mass ID. A Mass ID is for residents 14 and older who don’t hold a valid license in Massachusetts or another state (RMV — Mass ID).
• Standard or REAL ID. Both give the same driving privileges at the same cost, but a standard card isn’t accepted for federal purposes, such as domestic flights, and is always valid for five years (RMV — Driver’s Manual). A REAL ID has a star in the top right corner (RMV — ID requirements). For non-citizens, the RMV describes a limited-term REAL ID that lasts for your stay, can’t be renewed online and needs proof of a legal stay of at least 12 months (RMV — REAL ID in Massachusetts).

The Work and Family Mobility Act. Announcing this state law, which took effect on July 1, 2023, the RMV said eligible residents can apply for a standard (Class D or M) license regardless of immigration status (RMV press release, June 14, 2023). Note the limit: the No Social Security Number Affidavit works only for standard driver’s licenses, not for Mass ID cards (RMV — Driver’s Manual). Questions about your status: free immigration legal help.

Step 4 — Gather your documents

The RMV’s ID requirements page has a checklist for each card. For a standard Class D or M license, it says (RMV — Standard license checklist):

• Originals only, not laminated. Documents not in English need a certified translation. If one is missing, your license won’t be processed.
• Identity and date of birth, Option A: one document, such as a permanent resident card, an Employment Authorization Document (EAD), or a foreign passport with a U.S. visa and your I-94.
• Option B: two unexpired documents. First, a foreign passport (no visa required) or a consular ID card. Second, for example, a foreign birth certificate, a foreign national ID card (not digital) or a foreign driver’s license.
• Massachusetts residency: one document with your name and home address, no P.O. box, such as a current lease, or a utility bill, bank statement or pay stub dated within 60 days of your appointment. A REAL ID needs two (RMV — Tips).
• Social Security: if you have a Social Security number (SSN), you must give it. Without one, you use the Affidavit of No SSN (only with Option B documents) or a Social Security denial notice dated within 60 days, with your passport, visa and I-94.

Bills in your name take time, so opening a bank account and renting your first apartment often come first. See also our Social Security number guide.

Step 5 — Apply online, then book your visit

You start a learner’s permit application online at myRMV (RMV — Learner’s permit). In-person permit, license and ID transactions need an online appointment (RMV — Ask the RMV). The RMV emails you when one becomes available, and the link expires within 24 hours (RMV — Ask the RMV). AAA members can start a permit application at an AAA branch, by appointment (RMV — Ask the RMV). The RMV suggests avoiding Fridays, Mondays, the day after a holiday, and the first and last days of the month (RMV — Tips).

At the Service Center, you pass a vision screening (RMV — Learner’s permit) and have your photo taken without eyeglasses (RMV — Driver’s Manual). Some document checks take three to five business days, rarely up to 20; that doesn’t mean you were denied (RMV — Driver’s Manual).

Step 6 — Pass the learner’s permit exam

You must be at least 16, a resident, and not hold a license or permit in another state (RMV — Learner’s permit). The exam has 25 questions; you need 18 right answers in 25 minutes (RMV — Learner’s permit). You take it at the Service Center, or later online on a computer with a camera, not a phone or tablet (RMV — Learner’s permit).

It is offered in 37 languages, including American Sign Language, Arabic, Cape Verdean Creole, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, Spanish and Vietnamese (RMV — Learner’s permit). For an oral exam in another language, email RMV Interpreter Services at [email protected] (RMV — Learner’s permit). The Driver’s Manual is online in 15 languages besides English (RMV — Driver’s Manual).

A permit is valid for 2 years or the length of your stay in the U.S. (RMV — Learner’s permit). When you practice, the driver beside you must be at least 21, with a year of experience and a valid license from Massachusetts or another state (RMV — Driver’s Manual).

Step 7 — Book and pass the road test

• Schedule online. Road tests are scheduled 60 days ahead and fill up fast; try again later if none are open (RMV — Schedule your road test).
• Find a sponsor early. You need one even with a valid foreign license. Your sponsor must be 21 or older, with a year of experience and a valid license from their home state; foreign license holders can’t sponsor (RMV — Road tests; RMV — Driver’s Manual).
• Bring a suitable car: registered, inspected, with a rear seat for your sponsor and a parking brake the examiner can reach; if registered in another state, with proof of insurance meeting Massachusetts minimums (RMV — Road tests). See buying and insuring a car.
• Interpreter. Bring your own (who may only interpret the examiner’s exact words) or request one when you schedule (RMV — Road tests).
• After the test. If you fail, you wait at least 14 days (RMV — Driver’s Manual). If you pass and prepaid your fees, your permit becomes a temporary license, valid up to 60 days, and the permanent one comes by mail (RMV — Driver’s Manual).

Moving with a teenager? Drivers from 16½ to 18 are Junior Operators (RMV — Driver’s Manual). Before the road test, they need driver’s education, a permit held 6 months with a clean record, and 40 hours of supervised driving (RMV — JOL requirements). Until 18, they can’t drive from 12:30 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. without a parent or guardian (RMV — Driver’s Manual). See family first steps.