Connecticut driver's license and ID card: first license, renewal, replacement and REAL ID
How to get a first Connecticut driver's license or teen learner's permit, transfer an out-of-state license, renew or replace your card, get a REAL ID, and apply for a non-driver ID, based on the CT DMV's own pages.
Guide · Connecticut · REAL ID · Driver licenses · Renewals · ID cards · updated October 29, 2026
Connecticut driver's licenses, learner's permits and non-driver ID cards are issued by the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). This guide covers the common cases in order: getting your first license (including the teen permit), moving to Connecticut with another state's license, renewing, replacing a lost card, getting a REAL ID and getting a non-driver ID. For booking appointments and the document list, see the Connecticut DMV visit guide.
Your first Connecticut license
The DMV says every new driver must first get a learner's permit and then pass a road test. The legal age for both a learner's permit and a license is 16. Residents 18 and older apply for an adult learner's permit, which is valid for two years. The steps are:
- Complete the free online Connecticut Work Zone Safety Course. Since January 1, 2026, anyone applying for a learner's permit needs it. Bring the printed completion certificate.
- Pass the vision and knowledge tests in person, by appointment, at the same visit. The vision standard for a regular (Class D) license is 20/40 or better, with or without glasses. The knowledge test has 25 questions, and you need 20 correct. If you fail the knowledge test, you wait seven days and pay $40 to retake it. Bring Form R-229 and your identity documents.
- Complete the required training and hold the permit for the required time.
- Pass the road test at a hub office, in a registered, insured and mechanically safe vehicle. Bring your permit, Form R-229, the vehicle's registration and a Connecticut insurance card. If you fail, you must wait at least two weeks and pay another $40 testing fee.
The teen page lists a $40 testing fee, which covers the vision, knowledge and road tests, plus $19 for the learner's permit. The road test page lists the license fee as $84.
Teens aged 16 and 17
If your parent or legal guardian is not with you at the knowledge test, bring a completed Certificate of Parental Consent (Form 2-D). Teens can meet the training requirements through high school driver education, a commercial driving school or home training with a Qualified Trainer, or a combination of these. Each route includes classroom hours, parent training and 40 hours of practice driving. You can take the road test after holding the permit for at least 120 days with school training, or 180 days with home training.
A Qualified Trainer must be 20 or older and have held a license for at least four years with no suspensions in that time. Under-18 applicants need their Qualified Trainer to come to the DMV and sign that the requirements were met. Newly licensed 16- and 17-year-olds also face passenger restrictions and other rules, explained on the DMV's teen page.
Moving to Connecticut with another state's license
The DMV's own pages disagree on the deadline. Its license transfer page says you have 90 days after establishing residency to transfer your out-of-state license, while a reminder in the FAQ on its Get a Driver's License page says 60 days. Ask the DMV which applies to you if you are past 60 days. Out-of-state learner's permits cannot be transferred.
To transfer, book a "new residents" appointment. Bring:
- Your out-of-state license, current or expired no more than two years
- Your identity, Social Security and residence documents
- A completed Form R-229
- Payment: the DMV lists an $84 license fee and a $40 application fee. If you pay by check, bring two separate checks payable to "DMV".
You take a vision test there. If you lost your old license, bring a certified copy of your driving record from your old state, dated within 60 days. If your license expired more than two years ago, you start with a learner's permit and an eight-hour safe driving practices course. Drivers under 18 must also complete that course with its parent training. Full-time students who keep a permanent home elsewhere, and active-duty military members and their dependents, do not have to get a Connecticut license. Your new license arrives by mail within 20 business days.
Renewing your license
You can renew on your expiration date or up to 180 days (six months) before it, in three ways:
- Online, unless an exception applies. You cannot renew online if you did not get a new photo at your last renewal, are getting a REAL ID for the first time, are not a U.S. citizen, or have a commercial or drive-only license. Licenses expired two years or more are also excluded.
- In person, by appointment at a DMV office or an express office (select AAA locations or Nutmeg State Financial Credit Union offices, which may charge a convenience fee of up to $8).
- By mail with Form B-350, only in specific cases: active-duty military, a major medical condition, being temporarily out of state or the country, or incarceration. You cannot renew by mail if your last renewal was by mail or online.
The DMV lists renewal fees of $72 for six years and $96 for eight years; your renewal notice shows which applies. If you are 65 or older, you can ask for a two-year renewal for $24. A $25 late fee applies to expired licenses. If your license has been expired two years or more, you must apply for a new license instead. Renewed licenses arrive by mail within 30 days.
Replacing a lost license
You can request a duplicate online, in person by appointment with Form 1-B, or by mail with Form B-350. The DMV lists the fee as $30. You cannot order one online if your name has changed, if you are not a U.S. citizen, or if you hold a drive-only or commercial license. Cards are mailed only to the address on file, and mail forwarding will not deliver them.
REAL ID
A Connecticut REAL ID has a gold star in the top right corner. You must visit in person for your first REAL ID. Only U.S. citizens, permanent residents and asylees or refugees with acceptable documents are eligible for a full-term REAL ID. Residents with DACA status may get a limited-term REAL ID. In most cases you bring:
- A U.S. passport or U.S. birth certificate
- A Social Security card
- Two pieces of mail from two different sources, dated within 90 days, showing your Connecticut address
The DMV says REAL ID verification costs nothing extra at renewal. If you are not due to renew, you pay a $30 duplicate fee. Getting a REAL ID is optional: without the gold star your license is still valid for driving. To check your card, see How can I tell if my driver's license is REAL ID compliant? and REAL ID explained.
Non-driver ID cards
Connecticut residents who do not have a valid driver's license, or whose license is suspended, can get a non-driver photo ID. If you have a license and want an ID instead, you surrender the license (Form P-147). Fill in Form B-230 and book an appointment at a DMV office. The DMV says new ID cards are not issued at AAA or Nutmeg State Financial Credit Union offices. It lists the fee for a new ID as $28. The fee is waived for blind veterans and for people who are unhoused or living in a shelter. The card arrives by mail within 20 business days.
You can renew an ID card up to 180 days before it expires, online in most cases. Renewal fees are $24 for six years or $32 for eight years. If your ID card has been expired for two years or more, you apply for a new one instead.
For vehicle paperwork, see the Connecticut vehicle registration and title guide.