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Connecticut driver's license

Get your first license in Connecticut after moving to the US.

How it goes

  1. 1
    You arriveYou have moved to Connecticut and you want to drive here.
  2. 2
    Your permitYou practice on the road with a learner permit.
  3. 3
    The written testYou take the written test.
  4. 4
    Behind the wheelYou take the drive test behind the wheel.
  5. Your licenseYou pass the tests, and the license is yours.

What it costs

A first license

The license fee is $84.

  • The commissioner can waive the fee, but only for a license issued for law-enforcement activities under Section 14-11a; this does not change the normal fee.

  • Public Act 19-165 raised the fee from $72 to $84 for licenses issued on or after January 1, 2020.

  • The license itself costs $84, and the examination fee is $40, charged again for any retake, so you pay at least $124 if you pass on the first try.

  • The $40 charge is the examination fee, not the full cost of the license itself.

  • State law sets the fee for an original operator's license at $84.

You pay this when you apply.

If you just arrived in the US

Foreign documents with no expiry date

In Connecticut law, a foreign jurisdiction means any jurisdiction other than a US state, so a license from another country falls under this definition.

If you have no license to transfer

An out-of-state learner's permit cannot be transferred to Connecticut.

Documents you need

  • Documents that are still validYou bring original documents or certified copies, and each one must be unexpired.
    • Submitted documents must be valid and unexpired and must be originals or certified copies.

Your Social Security Number

Giving your number, and who may see it

Your Social Security number counts as personal information under the state's motor-vehicle-record disclosure law.

  • The law also treats your Social Security number as highly restricted personal information.

  • Your Social Security Number must be recorded on the application for a new driver's license, learner's permit, or non-driver ID card.

  • Your Social Security number is recorded on the application for a new driver's license, learner's permit, or non-driver ID card, and it is verified with the Social Security Administration.

Tests you take

Eye test

For a Class D license you need 20/40 vision or better, with or without corrective lenses, and 140 degrees of binocular peripheral visual field. If you do not pass, you cannot take the knowledge test for the learner's permit and must reschedule.

  • The form's office-use section records whether you used a visual aid, such as glasses or contacts, and whether you passed or failed the screening.

Drive test

The road test is part of getting the driver's license for people who have held the learner's permit for 90 days.

  • You are evaluated on basic driving skills such as turns, backing up, and parking.

  • You are also evaluated on how you respond to traffic signs, signals, and road markings, and how you interact with other drivers, such as yielding right-of-way and responding to emergency vehicles.

  • You must pass the road test, also called the driving test; the new license arrives in the mail.

Tries you get on the written test

One $40 fee covers all parts of the examination; if you fail any part, you pay another $40 to retake the whole examination or only the part you failed. The law sets no waiting period between attempts and no limit on the number of attempts.

  • If you fail the knowledge test, you wait seven days and pay $40 to reschedule your appointment and retake it.

  • If you fail the examination or any part of it, you pay another $40 to retake the whole examination or only the failed part.

  • If your commercial learner's permit expires and you have not obtained the commercial driver's license, you must retake the CDL knowledge test and any applicable endorsement knowledge tests.

  • If you fail either the vision or knowledge test, you reschedule the tests online and pay the fees again.

  • If you fail the vision test, you can reschedule your appointment immediately.

Practice questions for the written test

You can practice in English or in Spanish.

  • The 25-question test is based on the Connecticut driver's manuals; you need at least 20 correct answers to pass.

Using an interpreter

The DMV website has a language selector, so you can read the site in a language you choose.

  • Hebrew is one of the languages you can pick on the DMV website.

  • Khmer is one of the languages you can pick on the DMV website.

  • Kurdish is one of the languages you can pick on the DMV website.

  • Mongolian is one of the languages you can pick on the DMV website.

  • Nepali is one of the languages you can pick on the DMV website.

  • Pashto is one of the languages you can pick on the DMV website.

  • Romanian is one of the languages you can pick on the DMV website.

  • Swahili is one of the languages you can pick on the DMV website.

  • Thai is one of the languages you can pick on the DMV website.

  • Twi is one of the languages you can pick on the DMV website.

  • You can translate the DMV website itself using the language drop-down menu on the site.

Practising with your permit

Who can sit with you while you practise

The person must be at least 20 years old and must have held a driver license for at least four years with no suspension in that time.

  • Your parent, grandparent, foster parent, or legal guardian can be your qualified trainer if they meet the trainer requirements.

  • A stepparent, brother, sister, uncle, or aunt, by blood or marriage, can be your trainer only if you have no spouse, parent, grandparent, foster parent, or legal guardian who is qualified and available.

  • Any time you drive on your permit, a qualified trainer must be with you: someone age 20 or older who has been licensed for at least four consecutive years with no suspensions in that period.

  • The person with you must hold an instructor's license, or be 20 or older, licensed for the same class of vehicle for at least the past four years, with no license suspension during those four years.

  • On an adult instruction permit, you drive under the instruction of a licensed instructor or of a person age 20 or older who has been licensed for the same vehicle class for at least four years and had no suspension in that time.

What to bring to the drive test

Who comes with you

To take the drive test, you must give the commissioner an affidavit, signed under penalty of false statement by an official of the driver's school, high school or other secondary school that ran the course, saying a parent or guardian attended the required two hours of instruction with you.

The car and its insurance

You need proof of insurance; insurance companies must give you an insurance identification card to keep in each vehicle.

  • At least one name on the registration must appear on the permanent insurance card as policy owner, policy holder, or named insured; for a leased vehicle, the leasing company or lessor may be listed. The card must also show the vehicle description, the complete VIN, the insurance company's name, coverage in effect when the vehicle is registered, and an expiration date no more than one year later.

  • A temporary insurance card must show coverage in effect when the vehicle is registered, an expiration date no more than 60 days later, the printed name and signature of the agent or authorized representative, and a binder number, policy number, or agent's code number.

  • Any vehicle registration that has not been canceled must have liability insurance.

  • Your insurance agent can give you a temporary insurance card if you need one.

  • Connecticut's minimum insurance requirements apply to all licensed drivers and to learner's permit holders.

  • The DMV Agent checks the condition of the vehicle as part of the evaluation.

  • The vehicle must be properly registered, insured, and appropriate for the type of test.

  • If the vehicle is found in an unsafe operating condition, the road test is not conducted and you reschedule; that counts as a cancellation, not a failed test.

  • The vehicle must fit the license class you are applying for, have a valid registration certificate in it, and carry proof of insurance — a Connecticut insurance card in the same name as on the registration, or the policy declaration page if the vehicle is registered out of state. A rental vehicle cannot be used unless you hold a valid driver's license.

  • It must be appropriate for the license class you are applying for.

  • Worn or damaged tires mean the vehicle cannot be used for the test.

  • The insurance identification card must always be carried in the vehicle, and it is also presented when the vehicle is registered.

  • For a vehicle registered out of state, you present the declaration page of an insurance policy that meets Connecticut's minimum insurance requirements.

  • The vehicle must be mechanically safe and pass an evaluation.

  • The vehicle cannot have an Ignition Interlock Device installed unless you are required by law to use one.

  • A vehicle with after-market tint must have a CT DMV tint compliance sticker on it, along with the inspection report.

  • The vehicle must be mechanically safe and pass an evaluation by your driving instructor.

  • For after-market tinted windows, a CT DMV tint compliance sticker must be affixed to the inspection report.

  • If the vehicle is found in an unsafe operating condition, the road test will not be conducted and you will need to reschedule.

  • You need proof of insurance to take the road test.

  • It must have a valid registration certificate.

  • A defective speedometer means the vehicle cannot be used for the test.

Where to go

Who gives the tests

A DMV Agent performs the evaluation that comes ahead of the road test.

  • Road testing is offered only at DMV hub offices.

Booking an appointment

You can make or change a DMV appointment at https://portal.ct.gov/dmv/resources/make-change-appointment.

  • The Danbury AAA office takes appointments through the Northeast AAA Connecticut registry-services page.

  • You book a non-commercial road test online at https://www.dmvroadtest.ct.gov/dmv/do-it-online.

  • You schedule a new appointment for license and non-driver ID services through the Connecticut DMV Customer Online Services scheduler.

  • You schedule a knowledge test online at https://www.dmvteen.ct.gov/dmv/do-it-online.

  • You book the required in-person DMV office visit for renewal at https://portal.ct.gov/dmv/resources/make-change-appointment.

  • The DMV appointment page is https://portal.ct.gov/dmv/resources/make-change-appointment.

  • You schedule the on-the-road skills test through the DMV online appointment page.

  • The DMV page explains the tests and how to make an appointment.

  • New appointment times are added regularly at https://portal.ct.gov/dmv/resources/make-change-appointment.

  • You make an appointment at https://portal.ct.gov/dmv/resources/make-change-appointment.

  • You cancel, reschedule, or view an existing appointment at https://dmv.service.ct.gov/CustomerOnlineServices/s/appointmentsearch?language=en_US.

  • You manage your DMV appointment at https://portal.ct.gov/dmv/resources/make-change-appointment.

  • You make, view, or reschedule a road test appointment at https://www.dmvroadtest.ct.gov/dmv/do-it-online.

Office locations

The DMV locations page gives directions and lists the services offered at hub, branch and express offices, including AAA locations.

  • You can find every DMV location and its office hours at https://portal.ct.gov/dmv/resources/locations-office-hours.

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Every source, quoted88 sources

Every fact on this page is quoted from the page that publishes it, in the words it uses.

Applying for a driver's license in Connecticut?

Answer a few questions and see the steps that apply to you.

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