Washington driver license and ID for new residents

Step 1 — Count your 30 days and plan two trips

DOL lists what makes you a Washington resident: a Washington address, voter registration in Washington, state benefits, in-state tuition, or any Washington license bought at resident rates, such as a fishing or hunting license (DOL — Moving: driver license). If you’re only visiting, you may drive on your out-of-country license for up to 1 year (DOL — Tests).

The order matters. You must get your Washington driver license before you can register your vehicle, and DOL gives you the same 30 days for both (DOL — Vehicle registration). Driver licensing and vehicle licensing happen in separate offices, so DOL says to be prepared for two trips (DOL — Moving: driver license).

Step 2 — Choose a standard or an enhanced card

• Standard license or ID card: for driving and for identification within the state; marked “Federal Limits Apply” since July 2018, it hasn’t worked for boarding domestic flights since May 7, 2025 (DOL — REAL ID). A standard card does “not indicate a person’s residency or legal status,” DOL notes (DOL — REAL ID).
• Enhanced driver license (EDL) or enhanced ID card (EID): Washington’s REAL ID-compliant cards, marked with a U.S. flag instead of a star (DOL — REAL ID). They also work for re-entering the U.S. by land or sea from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean (DOL — REAL ID). Only U.S. citizens who can prove citizenship are eligible; a green card or work visa can’t be used (DOL — EDL guide).

Not a U.S. citizen? You’ll fly on another document: DOL’s REAL ID page lists a foreign passport, a green card and an Employment Authorization Card (Form I-766) among the options (DOL — REAL ID), and TSA keeps the full list (TSA).

Only need an ID card? There’s no minimum age, but the temporary paper ID you get at the office isn’t valid as ID, since it has no photo or signature (DOL — Get an ID card).

Step 3 — Find out which tests you need

• A valid license from another U.S. state, D.C., a U.S. territory, British Columbia (Class 5 only), Germany or South Korea: no tests if you’re 18 or older (DOL — Tests).
• A license from Japan or Taiwan: a translated certification is required, and DOL refers you to the Consulate-General of Japan or the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, both in Seattle (DOL — Tests).
• A license from any other country or Canadian province: you complete all the steps for a first license (DOL — Tests).
• An expired license from another state, or no license: a knowledge test and a drive test (DOL — Tests).

Adults have a shorter path: at 18 or older, you can get a first license by passing the knowledge and drive tests, without a driver training course or a learner permit (DOL — Ages 18+). To practice on public roads first, you need a learner permit and a licensed driver with at least 5 years of experience beside you (DOL — Ages 18+). Every applicant also has vision and medical screening (DOL — Tests).

Step 4 — Under 25? Take the new online course

Starting November 1, 2026, first-time Washington driver license applicants under 25 must pass a free online course on work zone and first responder safety (DOL — Work zone course). DOL lists it for people moving to Washington, too (DOL — Moving: driver license). The course takes about an hour, ends with a test, comes in 14 languages, and can be done before or after your other tests (DOL — Work zone course).

To sign in, you need a 12-digit Washington driver license (WDL) number; without one, you request it in a License Express account, choosing “Personal Driver License” if you’re transferring a valid out-of-state license (DOL — Work zone course). Finish it before your office visit.

More is coming: from January 1, 2027, DOL will phase in driver education for first-time applicants, starting with 18-year-olds and reaching those under 22 by 2030, with details still to come (DOL — Work zone course).

Step 5 — Gather your identity documents

For a standard license, permit or ID card, DOL accepts one of four combinations (DOL — Proof of identity):

1. one stand-alone document;
2. two A-list documents;
3. one A-list document and two B-list documents;
4. four B-list documents, one of which shows both your name and your birth date.

Documents newcomers often have, by list (DOL — Proof of identity):

• Stand-alone: a green card; an Employment Authorization Document (Form I-766); a Refugee Travel Document (Form I-571); a license or ID from another U.S. state, valid or expired for no more than 1 year; an Office of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance (ORIA) Verification Packet.
• A-list: a U.S. visa; a foreign passport with an I-94, an I-551 (ADIT) stamp or a temporary I-551; a consulate ID, an electoral ID, or an ID from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico or Peru; a Japanese driver license.
• B-list: a foreign ID or driver license; a certified birth certificate; a Social Security card; Form I-20 or DS-2019 for foreign exchange students.

Bring originals: DOL doesn’t accept copied, scanned or photographed documents, and anyone who brings intentionally false or misleading ones can’t reapply for one year (DOL — Proof of identity). Need your I-94? See our I-94 guide.

Your SSN. DOL checks it with the Social Security Administration, and for a driver license “you must provide it or sign a declaration saying you don’t have one” (DOL — Proof of identity). See getting a Social Security number.

For an EDL or EID, you also prove U.S. citizenship and Washington residence; DOL’s enhanced document tool makes your list (DOL — EDL guide; DOL — Get an EDL).

Step 6 — Book your tests and your office visit

Tests often happen outside DOL offices. You schedule the knowledge test at a driver training school or testing location, and the fee varies by location (DOL — Tests). Drive tests are given at driver training schools and some DOL offices (DOL — Language access).

• Knowledge test: multiple choice; you need 32 of 40 correct, and a pass is good for 2 years (DOL — Tests). It comes in 12 languages: English, Spanish, Traditional and Simplified Chinese, Korean, Russian, Vietnamese, Japanese, Arabic, Punjabi, Tagalog and Ukrainian; check that your school offers yours (DOL — Tests). Study with the Washington Driver Guide, available in 17 languages (DOL — Driver guides).
• Drive test: you need at least 80 of 100, and a pass is good for one year (DOL — Tests). Bring proof of liability insurance for the test vehicle and a vehicle with valid registration, tabs and plates; a rental car is allowed (DOL — Tests). You’ll parallel park without parking-assist features (DOL — Drive test).
• Testing in your language: if no driver training school near you tests in your language, a DOL office can help schedule it and, if no staff member speaks it, use visual flash cards (DOL — Language access).

The office visit. “You must make an appointment to go into the office,” DOL says (DOL — Moving: driver license). Book on the DOL scheduler and find a driver licensing office near you (DOL — Offices). To arrange an interpreter, email [email protected]; DOL can usually schedule one with at least 5 business days’ notice (DOL — Language access).

Step 7 — At the office, and after

At the office, you tell DOL your SSN, pay fees (cash, check or card), pass any required tests, and decide whether to register to vote or become an organ donor (DOL — Moving: driver license).

Voting is for citizens only. U.S. citizenship is the first condition DOL lists for registering to vote in Washington (DOL — Voter registration). If you’re not a citizen, decline when you’re asked; see civic rules for noncitizens.

You leave with a temporary license. DOL punches a hole in your out-of-state license and gives it back; your temporary license lets you drive for 45 days but probably won’t work as ID (DOL — Moving: driver license). If your card hasn’t arrived within 30 days, call 360-902-3900 (DOL — Moving: driver license).

Then the car. Take your title to a vehicle licensing office for registration and plates (DOL — Vehicle registration). A Washington-registered vehicle needs liability insurance or another approved form of financial responsibility (DOL — Mandatory insurance); see buying and insuring a car.

If you move again within Washington, you have 10 days to change the address on your license or ID (DOL — Change of address). USCIS has its own rule: see change of address for USCIS and USPS.