Undocumented Immigrants Can Now Get Driver’s Licenses in California

Signed by Governor Brown in 2013 to turn AB-60 into a law, the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is now able to issue a driver’s license to any California resident eligible for a driver’s license, regardless of immigration status.

AB-60, also known as the Safe Driver and Responsibility Act, went into effect on January 2, 2015. Since its activation, the DMV has received over 600,000 applications from undocumented immigrants. Of this original influx of applicants, nearly 400,000 have met all requirements to drive in California and have been approved and issued.

The reason for the Assembly Bill 60 was to allow any person qualified to drive in California to hold proper identification stating so. Different from normal drivers’ licenses, an AB-60 license will have a visible distinguishing feature that cannot be used for certain federal purposes.

The California DMV has been preparing for the activation of AB-60 and was given an additional $141 million budget to open temporary offices across the state, conduct community workshops, and provide sample drivers tests. They also hired an addition 1,000 employees to help process applications. DMV officials project that there will be 1.5 million applications from undocumented illegals over the next three years.