No—you cannot obtain an Ohio driver's license using only your I-485 and I-765 receipt notices, but you may qualify before your EAD arrives if you also provide the required identity, address, and verifiable legal-presence documents.

§ 37.3, Temporary lawful status

Temporary lawful status: A person in temporary lawful status is a person who: Has a valid nonimmigrant status in the United States (other than a person admitted as a nonimmigrant under the Compacts of Free Association between the United States and the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, or the Republic of Palau); has a pending application for asylum in the United States; has a pending or approved application for temporary protected status (TPS) in the United States; has approved deferred action status; or has a pending application for LPR or conditional permanent resident status.

(c)(1)(vi)

Unexpired foreign passport with a valid, unexpired U.S. visa affixed accompanied by the approved I-94 form documenting the applicant's most recent admittance into the United States.

(g)(2)

The applicant must also present a second document from § 37.11(g)(1) or documentation issued by DHS or other Federal agencies demonstrating lawful status as determined by USCIS.

(a)

States must require, before issuing a temporary or limited-term driver's license or identification card to a person, valid documentary evidence, verifiable through SAVE or other DHS-approved means, that the person has lawful status in the United States.

(G)(6)

For a person who is not a citizen of the United States, appropriate United States citizenship and immigration services (USCIS) documents that are original and valid, or like documents issued by the successor agency to the USCIS showing the dates of legal presence.

(B)

A nonrenewable license or nonrenewable identification card may be issued to a temporary resident of this state when the applicant presents acceptable documents, including those listed in rule 4501:1-1-21 of the Administrative Code, verifying the following: the applicant's full legal name, date of birth, social security number if ever assigned, proof of Ohio street address and legal presence in the United States, and temporary residence in this state.

Supplemental USCIS documents proving legal presence

I-797 with various case types

Ohio street address

Two documents that contain your name and Ohio Street Address, from this Acceptable Documents List PROVE: 5 – Ohio Street Address

Ohio street address

One document that contains your name and Ohio Street Address, from this Acceptable Documents List PROVES: 5 - Ohio Street Address

Before issuing or renewing an Ohio temporary instruction permit identification card (TIPIC), driver license (DL) or identification card (ID), your immigration status will need to be verified by the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) System.

(E)(2)

(2) If there is no expiration date for a temporary resident's authorized stay in the United States, a limited term license shall not be issued to the temporary resident for a period longer than one year from the date of issuance.

(E)(1)

(E)(1) Except as provided in division (E)(2) of this section, a limited term license shall not be issued to a temporary resident for a period longer than the expiration date of the temporary resident's authorized stay in the United States, or for four years from the date of issuance, whichever date is earliest.

(E)(3)

(3) A limited term license may be renewed within ninety days prior to its expiration upon the applicant's presentation of documentation verifying the applicant's legal presence or continued temporary lawful status in the United States.

(M)

(M) A person who can demonstrate to the registrar's satisfaction that he or she has never been assigned a social security number may apply for a driver's license upon giving acceptable proof of that person's true identity, including the person's full legal name, date of birth, legal presence in the United States, and residential street address within the state of Ohio.

As of May 7, 2025, state-issued driver’s licenses and IDs that are not REAL ID compliant are no longer accepted as valid forms of identification at airports.

Employment Authorization

In all other cases, an adjustment applicant must file an Application for Employment Authorization ( Form I-765 ) concurrently with or subsequent to filing an Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status ( Form I-485 ) and await USCIS issuance of the EAD before engaging in employment.

Limited Term Licenses

If you currently hold an unexpired out of country license from Canada, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea or Taiwan, you are exempt from these requirements, and may obtain a Limited Term License by presenting your current license at the time of application.