Driver's license in California
What California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) publishes about getting a license, checked August 27, 2026.
- Fee for a first license
- $46 for an original Class C driver's license application. It is an application fee, paid once, and it covers the tests.
- Source: California DMV - Licensing Fees · Checked August 27, 2026
- Fee to retake the road test
- $9 for each behind-the-wheel retest. Failing the road test does not mean paying the full application fee again.
- Source: California DMV - Licensing Fees · Checked August 27, 2026
- State ID card fee
- $40 for a regular ID card. A reduced-fee card costs $11, and it is free for people aged 62 or older.
- Source: California DMV - Licensing Fees · Checked August 27, 2026
- If you cannot prove lawful presence
- California still issues a license under AB 60 to people who cannot prove lawful presence in the United States, as long as they can prove identity and California residency. If the documents fall short, the DMV moves the application to a Secondary Review rather than refusing it outright.
- Source: California DMV - AB 60 Driver's Licenses · Checked August 27, 2026
- Languages the written test is offered in
- The knowledge test is available in more than 40 languages, and the driver's handbook comes in multiple languages too. You are not required to take it in English.
- Source: California DMV - AB 60 Driver's Licenses · Checked August 27, 2026
- Phone line for an interpreter
- Call 1-800-777-0133 to ask for an interpreter when booking a DMV appointment.
- Source: California DMV - AB 60 Driver's Licenses · Checked August 27, 2026
- When you count as a California resident
- You are a California resident if you intend to live in the state for six months or more within one year. Working in California, renting a place as your main home, or registering to vote all count as signs the DMV uses.
- Source: California DMV - New to California · Checked August 27, 2026
- Deadline to register a vehicle you bring in
- A vehicle previously registered in another state or country must be registered in California within 20 days of you becoming a resident or bringing it into the state.
- Source: California DMV - New to California · Checked August 27, 2026
- How often you renew
- A California driver's license is renewed every five years.
- Source: California DMV - AB 60 Driver's Licenses · Checked August 27, 2026
- How REAL ID works here
- You apply for a REAL ID online and upload proof of identity (passport or birth certificate) and residency (utility bill, bank statement), then bring the originals and your confirmation code to a DMV appointment. If a written test is required, DMV offices do not run them after 4:30pm.
- Source: California DMV - REAL ID · Checked August 27, 2026
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The oldest line on this page was checked August 27, 2026