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New York, moving from another state

Moving to New York: do you have to retake the written test?

Usually not, if your license comes from another U.S. state or territory or a Canadian province and is recent enough. New York DMV's exchange page asks for a photo license that is valid or expired less than 24 months and was issued at least 6 months before you apply, and form ID-44 (revised February 2026) says the written and road tests may be waived for such a license; one issued inside the past 6 months needs a certified driving record showing more than 6 months of licensing. You exchange it in person within 30 days of becoming a New York resident, pass a vision test, surrender the old license and pay the fee. Under 18, a parent or guardian must consent to transferring a U.S. or Canadian license. A license from a country other than Canada generally means the written test, the 5-hour course and the road test. Students from other states attending school in New York are normally not residents and need not exchange. Checked in September 2026.

Source: New York State DMV, Exchange Your Out-of-State Driver License, Drivers from Other Countries, and form ID-44 (2/26); Vehicle and Traffic Law s. 250, checked September 26, 2026.

Which NY test do you needNY
EExam simulatorFull New York DMV format: 20 questions, 14 to pass with at least 2 of the 4 road sign questions right, every answer keyed to a statute.1Warm up runA shorter 20 question run pulled from across the NY bank, for a first look before the full sitting.SSigns and lane markingsSigns, signals and lane markings on their own: 63 questions, the group that costs the most points.LState statute questionsThe 36 rules that belong to New York alone, each carrying the statute number it was drafted against.
Every New York test and ruleNo account needed

Does my license qualify for the test waiver?

Check 4 things on the card itself: who issued it, your photo, the expiration date and the issue date. Look hardest at the issue date. If a recent renewal or replacement put a date inside the past 6 months on the card, ID-44 asks for a certified driving record from the old state showing more than 6 months of licensing.

The Driver's Manual attaches the 5-hour course to the tests: a new resident who has to pass the written and road tests also has to complete it.

Where your situation lands
Your situationWhat New York asks forTests
Photo license from a U.S. state or territory, Washington, D.C. or a Canadian province, issued at least 6 months ago, valid or expired under 24 monthsIn-person exchangeWritten and road tests may be waived
Same, but the card was issued in the past 6 months (a renewal or replacement, say)Certified driving record showing over 6 months of licensingWaiver still possible
No issue date printed on the cardCertified record or a letter from the issuing stateWaiver still possible with it
Lost or stolenA replacement photo license, or a letter or certified driver abstract, from the old state; the letter or abstract does not prove identity or date of birthWaiver still possible
Suspended, revoked, hardship, employment-only, non-renewable or non-transferableCannot be exchangedNo exchange
Expired 24 months or moreOutside the exchange windowWritten test, 5-hour course, road test
License from a country other than CanadaA New York permit, then the courseWritten test, 5-hour course, road test
Out-of-state learner permit onlyCannot be exchangedWritten test for a New York permit

From DMV's exchange and Drivers from Other Countries pages and page 4 of ID-44 (2/26). Checked September 26, 2026.

How long can I keep driving on my old license?

30 days from the day you become a New York resident. Vehicle and Traffic Law s. 250(2) lets a new resident drive on a valid license from elsewhere for no more than 30 days while getting a New York one, and DMV sets the same 30-day deadline for the exchange. Section 250(5) defines a resident as someone who lives in New York intending it to be a fixed and permanent home, and makes keeping a place of abode here for at least 90 days presumptive evidence of residence.

A visitor aged 16 or older can drive here on a valid license from another country, subject to New York's rules for drivers under 18. The 30 days in s. 250(2) start only once you become a resident.

Welcome to New York sign beside northbound Interstate 287 and Route 17 at the New Jersey state line
A new resident must get a New York driver license within 30 days.Photo: Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Worked example

Chidi, 29, Philadelphia to Albany, August 2026

  1. 1Chidi Okafor was first licensed in Pennsylvania in 2015. He lost his license in May 2026 and got a replacement card, which shows an issue date of May 20, 2026. It is valid until 2029.
  2. 2He moves into an Albany apartment on a lease that starts August 3, 2026, intending to make it his permanent home. That makes September 2 the last day VAT 250(2) lets him drive on the Pennsylvania card.
  3. 3Because the printed issue date is under 6 months old, he orders a certified copy of his Pennsylvania driving record that week. It shows continuous licensing since 2015, which is what ID-44 needs to see.
  4. 4He wants REAL ID for domestic flights, which needs 2 New York address proofs. His folder: U.S. passport (4 points), Social Security card (2 points), the lease (0 points, first address proof) and a pay stub from his new job printed with the Albany address (1 point, second address proof). Total: 7 points, before counting the Pennsylvania card itself.
  5. 5On Monday, August 24 he goes to a DMV office in Albany, passes the vision test, hands over the Pennsylvania card and pays.

Outcome. Chidi takes no written test, no 5-hour course and no road test, and he finishes 9 days inside his 30. He leaves with a temporary non-photo document, and the photo license follows by mail about 2 weeks later. Without the certified record, his card alone would not have shown 6 months of licensing.

Chidi's 30-day window
  1. August 3, 2026
    Becomes a resident

    The lease starts and he moves in. The 30 days run from here.

  2. August 24
    Exchange at a DMV office

    Vision test, proofs, old card surrendered, fee paid.

  3. September 2
    30 days end

    The last day VAT 250(2) covers the Pennsylvania card.

  4. About September 7
    Photo license by mail

    DMV says to allow 2 weeks.

  5. November 1
    90 days at the address

    Keeping the Albany apartment this long is now presumptive evidence of residence.

Deadlines from VAT 250(2) and 250(5) and DMV's exchange page. The dates are Chidi's.

What happens at the exchange visit?

DMV offers no online or mail version of the exchange, so everything on this list comes with you to one office visit.

What to bring to a New York license exchange
  • Your out-of-state photo license

    Surrendered. ID-44 scores it at 4 points toward the 6, and for a Standard license it can also be your date-of-birth proof.

  • Form MV-44, completed

    The standard application form.

  • One Social Security item

    The card is 2 points; the number printed on MV-44 is 0.

  • Citizenship or lawful status proof, for REAL ID or Enhanced

    A U.S. passport is 4 points. Enhanced is for citizens only and adds $30.

  • New York address proof

    1 for Standard, 2 for REAL ID or Enhanced, address preprinted, no P.O. box.

  • At least 6 points in total

    Originals or agency-certified copies, with certified English translations where needed.

  • Certified driving record, if needed

    When the card was issued in the past 6 months or shows no issue date.

  • Glasses or contacts, or an MV-619

    You need 20/40 or better in at least one eye. An MV-619 result is good for 12 months from the test, or 6 if an optometrist or ophthalmologist says so.

From form ID-44 (2/26), DMV's exchange page and its vision requirements page.

DMV's fee page shows no separate exchange charge. The table on page 4 of ID-44 says a Class D license will cost no more than $98.50, calls every figure approximate, and adds $30 for Enhanced; REAL ID costs nothing extra.

My license is from another country. What do I take?

The same 3 steps as a first-time driver, in the order DMV's page for drivers from other countries sets: the written test for a permit, then the 5-hour Pre-Licensing Course, then the road test. An eligible Canadian license can be exchanged instead, because the exchange page covers Canadian provinces.

The New York path with a license from another country
  1. 1
    Get a New York learner permit

    File MV-44 with ID-44 proofs, pass the vision test and pass the written test. A foreign photo driver license that is current or expired no more than 2 years counts as a 4-point date-of-birth proof for a Standard permit.

  2. 2
    Take the 5-hour course

    Only once the permit is issued. Classroom and live virtual versions are open from 16; the online pilot is for 18 and over with a photo permit. A classroom or virtual MV-278 certificate stays valid for 1 year.

  3. 3
    Book the road test

    You need the permit, the course completion and an unused road test. Expect the first open date 3 to 5 weeks out, or as much as 10 weeks away over the summer and around school vacations. At 18 or over there is no 6-month permit hold.

  4. 4
    Take the road test

    If your foreign license is not printed in English, bring an International Driving Permit or a certified translation of it. When you pass, you hand the foreign license to the examiner, and New York keeps it.

For a Class D permit, you must answer at least 14 of 20 questions correctly, including at least 2 of the 4 road-sign questions. The $10 application fee covers up to 2 knowledge-test attempts. A newcomer 18 or over takes the test at an office, because the at-home version is only for applicants under 18.

Once you are a resident, VAT 250(2) covers driving on the foreign license for 30 days. After that, until you pass the road test, you drive only on the New York permit, with a supervising driver 21 or older licensed for the vehicle. According to the Driver's Manual, a surrendered foreign license is destroyed unless you ask the examiner in writing to keep it on file. DMV publishes no list of the 'select foreign' places that ID-44 refers to, so plan on all 3 steps.

What if I am under 18, or I only had a learner permit?

A learner permit cannot be exchanged. You can drive in New York on an out-of-state permit only if you are 16 or older, the permit is valid outside the state that issued it, and you follow both its restrictions and New York's. To get a New York permit, you must pass the written and vision tests and complete an office visit. Applicants under 18 can choose the online written test before that visit.

Parental consent can allow a license transfer for an applicant under 18 only when the license is from a U.S. jurisdiction or Canada. A license from any other country cannot be transferred at that age, so the path starts with a New York permit and the written test. Until a transfer, a 16 or 17 year old with an out-of-state license must follow the restrictions on that license and New York's graduated license rules, which keep junior licenses out of all 5 boroughs of New York City. An out-of-state learner permit also carries New York's permit restrictions. Under 16, no out-of-state document lets you drive here. ID-44 and the exchange page do not say which New York class a transferred teen license becomes.

If you are reading the May 2023 Driver's Manual

Chapter 1 of the 5/23 edition still sets a 1-year expiration limit for skipping the tests and the course. The current exchange page requires a license that is valid or expired less than 24 months. Follow the current exchange requirements.

Can I keep my old state license too?

No. The exchange surrenders it, and ID-44 says New York keeps your out-of-state or foreign license. The form also warns that many places do not let a person hold documents from 2 jurisdictions: your old state may cancel its document once New York issues one, even if you never report the move, and a New York document can be canceled later if another jurisdiction issues you one.

What does New York DMV not publish on this?

Which foreign licenses qualify for a waiver. Form ID-44 mentions waivers for a select foreign jurisdiction, but DMV publishes no list of countries, so this page cannot say whether yours is one.

More questions about this in New York

How long can a new New York resident drive on an out-of-state license?

Up to 30 days from the date you become a resident. Vehicle and Traffic Law s. 250(2) lets a new New York resident drive on a valid license from elsewhere for no more than 30 days while getting a New York license, and DMV's exchange page sets the same 30-day deadline. Keeping a place of abode in New York for at least 90 days is presumptive evidence of residence under s. 250(5).

Can I exchange an out-of-state learner permit for a New York permit?

No. New York DMV does not exchange learner permits from other states. You can drive in New York on an out-of-state permit only if you are at least 16, the permit is valid outside its home state, and you follow its restrictions and New York's. To hold a New York permit you apply at a DMV office, pass the vision test and pass the written test like any first-time applicant.

My out-of-state license was renewed recently. Can I still skip the New York tests?

Usually, with one extra document. If the renewal left an issue date less than 6 months old on your card, New York's form ID-44 (2/26) asks for a certified copy of your driving record proving a longer licensing history. With that record, and a photo card that has not been expired for 24 months or more, the written and road tests may be waived.

Do I need a New York road test if my license is from another country?

Yes, unless you have a qualifying Canadian license that can be exchanged. New York DMV's page for drivers from other countries requires the written test, the 5-hour Pre-Licensing Course and a road test. If the foreign license is not in English, bring an International Driving Permit or a certified translation to the road test, and hand the license to the examiner when you pass. Form ID-44 mentions select foreign jurisdictions, but DMV lists none.

Can a 17 year old who moves to New York transfer a license from another state?

Yes, from another U.S. state, a U.S. jurisdiction or a Canadian province or territory, with a parent or guardian consenting, under New York's form ID-44, revised February 2026. A driver under 18 whose license comes from any other country cannot transfer it and applies for a New York learner permit instead, starting with the written test. Every applicant still needs the 6-point identity proofs and a vision test.

Do out-of-state college students in New York have to exchange their license?

Normally not. New York DMV says students from other states or countries attending school in New York are normally not considered residents, so they do not need to exchange their current license. The 30-day exchange deadline applies once you become a New York resident, and keeping a place of abode here for at least 90 days is presumptive evidence of residence under Vehicle and Traffic Law s. 250(5).

Sources

Other questions about New York

Ready to practice for the New York test?

How this works in other states

Florida may skip both exams, Texas skips them at 18 or older, California still gives the knowledge test, and New York residents must exchange within 30 days. Read the guide.

Written by Vikas. Checked against the source above on September 26, 2026. New York DMV does not run this site and does not endorse it.