Moving to California: getting your driver's license and registering your car

What the California DMV asks of new residents: when you count as a resident, the 20-day window to register a car from another state, and the steps to switch your out-of-state license.

Guide · California · Driver licenses · Vehicle registration · Moving to a new state · updated October 29, 2026

Moving to California means two separate jobs at the DMV: switching to a California driver's license and moving your car onto California registration. The car has a firm deadline, so it is worth starting there. This guide follows what the California DMV publishes for new residents.

Are you a California resident yet?

The DMV's new-resident page gives a simple test: you are a California resident if you intend to live in the state for six months or more in one year. If you intend to become a resident and drive here, the DMV says you must apply for a California driver's license.

Part 1: Register your vehicle

The deadline: 20 days

If your vehicle was last registered in another state or country, the DMV says to register it in California within 20 days of becoming a resident or bringing the vehicle into the state. The California Driver's Handbook phrases the trigger slightly differently: you have 20 days after you become a resident or get a job in California.

The handbook also notes that vehicles registered in California must meet the state's requirements, including emission controls, and that the DMV cannot register a vehicle that does not qualify.

What the DMV asks for

The DMV's Vehicle Industry Registration Procedures Manual, written for the vehicle industry, lists the basic requirements for registering a vehicle that comes from out of state. Depending on your vehicle, expect to provide:

1. A completed Application for Title or Registration (REG 343). Each registered owner gives a driver's license or ID number. If you still hold an out-of-state license, you enter that number and note the issuing state.
2. Proof of ownership, such as your out-of-state title. If your vehicle was registered in a state that did not issue a title, the manual explains what proof it accepts instead.
3. Your last out-of-state registration or renewal notice. You can skip this if your title shows the last registration period.
4. A completed Verification of Vehicle (REG 31). Small VIN discrepancies, such as a "5" in place of an "S", are explained in the Statement of Facts section of that form.
5. An odometer disclosure, on a title that includes one or on form REG 262. The manual exempts vehicles 10 years old or older and certain others.
6. A smog certification, if your vehicle needs one. The manual is explicit that the smog exemption for newer vehicles does not apply to vehicles coming from out of state.
7. Your unexpired out-of-state plates and stickers.
8. Fees and use tax, if due.

Commercial vehicles generally also need a weight certificate (the manual lists exceptions), and some need a Declaration of Gross Vehicle Weight (REG 4008). If someone else is named as owner on your out-of-state title, bills of sale are required.

The manual does not list fee amounts, so check the DMV's fee information before you go.

Part 2: Switch to a California driver's license

The DMV's driver's license page has a specific path for people who hold a license from another U.S. state.

Step 1: Apply online

Start the driver's license and ID card application on the DMV website:

• You need a DMV online account with two-factor authentication, which means an email address and a phone that can receive a call or text.
• Have your Social Security number, name, address and date of birth ready.
• The DMV says the form takes about 9 minutes on average and times out after 15 minutes, though you can save and return.
• Keep the confirmation number the DMV emails you.

The DMV keeps online applications for up to one year and only processes them when you visit an office.

Step 2: Visit a DMV office

At the office, according to the DMV, you will:

1. Provide your Social Security number.
2. Prove your identity with an original or certified identity document. Your current name must match it.
3. Present residency documents if you have never held a California license or ID.
4. Pay the nonrefundable application fee. The DMV says the application and fee are valid for 12 months; amounts are on its Licensing Fees page.
5. Have your thumbprint scanned.
6. Pass a vision exam.
7. Have your photo taken.
8. Pass the knowledge test or tests. You get three tries at each test; if you fail the same test three times, you have to reapply.

The driver's license page says knowledge tests are not given within 30 minutes of closing, and the online application page says tests are not available after 4:30 p.m. If you are testing, plan your visit for earlier in the day.

The DMV's appointments page links to scheduling, office locations and a "Get in Line Now" option, and the DMV recommends finishing the online application before your appointment.

Should you make it a REAL ID?

The DMV says all noncommercial driver's licenses come as either a REAL ID compliant card or a federal non-compliant card. The DMV's new-resident page reminds you that since May 7, 2025 you need a REAL ID (or another federally accepted ID) to board domestic flights or enter federal facilities. According to the DMV's REAL ID Checklist, a REAL ID requires one identity document and two residency documents; see our California REAL ID guide for the full list. People applying through AB 60 cannot get a REAL ID compliant card.

If you cannot prove legal presence in the U.S. but meet the DMV's requirements and can prove your identity and California residency, the DMV offers an AB 60 driver's license instead.

A short new-resident checklist

• Decide your residency date: when you started living here with intent to stay six months or more in a year.
• Register your car within 20 days: REG 343, title, last registration, REG 31, smog certificate if required, plates, fees.
• Start the license application online, then visit an office for documents, thumbprint, vision exam, photo and knowledge tests.