Which specific 19 states and jurisdictions currently issue driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants, and what are the application document requirements in each state?
Executive summary
Nineteen U.S. states, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, currently have laws or DMV programs that permit some form of driver’s licenses or driving cards for people without lawful immigration status (statement supported by multiple policy trackers) [1] [2]. The available reporting and advocacy tables detail the existence of these programs and general document categories required—proof of identity and in-state residency—but the sources provided do not contain a single, complete, up-to-date per‑state breakdown of every document checklist required at each DMV office; the most reliable compiled lists are the National Conference of State Legislatures map and the National Immigration Law Center table [3] [2].
1. The basic tally and who is included
Multiple policy trackers and summaries concur that 19 states plus Washington, D.C. (and Puerto Rico in some accounts) have enacted laws or DMV practices to issue driver’s licenses or limited‑purpose driving cards regardless of federal immigration status [1] [2] [4]. Coverage and program design vary widely across those jurisdictions: some issue standard licenses that look like any other credential, others issue “drive‑only” or limited‑purpose cards that are not REAL ID compliant, and a few add visible markings to indicate the license-holder did not present proof of lawful presence [5] [6].
2. What the reporting says about required documents in general
Across the sources, the recurring documentary themes are proof of identity (often a foreign passport, consular ID, or foreign birth certificate), proof of state residency (utility bills, leases, or similar documents), and payment of the usual application fee; applicants still must pass written and road tests like any other driver [7] [8] [5]. Advocates’ guides and law‑center tables characterize these as “alternate” identity and residency documents used when applicants cannot show lawful‑presence documents or Social Security numbers [2] [9].
3. Examples that illustrate variation in state practice
California’s 2013 AB 60 removed the lawful‑presence requirement and has been cited as a model that relies on foreign passports/IDs plus state residency proof and the standard testing process; California’s experience has been studied for road‑safety impacts [8]. Connecticut and Delaware issue credentials but place identifying markings on licenses issued to immigrants without lawful presence, explicitly distinguishing them from REAL ID‑compliant credentials [6]. Reporting also flags that some states that allow licensing elsewhere can be countered by other states’ laws that invalidate out‑of‑state “drive‑only” licenses—Florida enacted such a law in 2023 and Tennessee moved to restrict recognition of licenses issued exclusively to undocumented immigrants [6] [10].
4. Limits of the available reporting on per‑state checklists
The sources supplied include national maps and tables (NCSL, NILC) that document which jurisdictions provide access but the excerpts here do not include a verbatim, side‑by‑side, per‑state checklist of every accepted document for all 19 jurisdictions [3] [2]. Where specific examples appear in the reporting, they are illustrative rather than exhaustive—state DMVs publish the definitive list for applicants, and advocates and legal centers summarize typical document categories [7] [8].
5. How to get the specific, state‑by‑state document lists now
The most authoritative, up‑to‑date compilations named in the reporting are NCSL’s interactive map and table and NILC’s state table; both are cited as the central references that track enacted laws and the categories of documents used in each jurisdiction [3] [2]. For applicants or researchers needing exact checklists—e.g., whether State X accepts consular ID plus two utility bills versus requiring a foreign passport and a lease—state DMV web pages (and the NILC or NCSL tables that link to them) are the only sources the reporting recommends for precise requirements [2] [3].
6. Political and enforcement context that affects document use
The policy space is actively contested: advocates emphasize public‑safety gains from licensing trained, tested, insured drivers, while opponents argue the credentials could mask immigration status or be misused; some states have responded by criminalizing use of out‑of‑state undocumented‑issued licenses or refusing to recognize them, creating cross‑state uncertainty for applicants [8] [6] [10]. Any per‑state document policy therefore exists alongside evolving legislative and enforcement actions that affect how those documents are recognized beyond the issuing state [6] [10].