How to Complete the California DL 44: Documents, Fees, and Appointment

The California DL 44 form is the application you fill out to get an original driver license, a state ID card, or to make certain updates like a legal name or gender change. You can start it online through the DMV’s electronic version (the eDL 44) and finish at a field office, or you can complete the paper form entirely in person. Either way, the application has to be finished at a DMV office, where staff verify your documents, take your photo and thumbprint, and administer any required tests.¹ The paper form is not available as a download; its barcode has to be machine-readable, so you have to pick it up at the office.

When You Use the DL 44

The DL 44 covers non-commercial Class C and motorcycle Class M1/M2 licenses, as well as standard state ID cards. Commercial applicants use a separate form, the DL 44C, which captures additional medical and regulatory information.²

You’ll need a DL 44 if you’re:

Applying for a California driver license or ID card for the first time.
Renewing in person because you can’t renew online or by mail. That happens if you’ve already had two consecutive mail or internet renewals, you’re on driving probation, you’re converting to a REAL ID for the first time, or you hold a commercial license.³
Changing your legal name. You’ll also need proof of each prior name change, such as marriage certificates, court orders, or dissolution documents.⁴
Updating the gender category on your credential. The revised DL 44 lets you select male, female, or nonbinary.²

You sign the application under penalty of perjury, so every answer needs to be accurate.

Start Online or Start in Person

Both routes end with an in-person visit. Starting online just shortens the time you spend at the counter.

Online (eDL 44)

Create or log into a DMV account, enter your personal information, and, if you’re applying for a REAL ID, upload scans of your identity and residency documents.¹ Have your Social Security number, full legal name, date of birth, and California address ready before you start. Your online application sits in the system for up to a year, and nothing moves forward until you show up at a field office. Book an appointment before you go.⁵

Paper form at the field office

If you’d rather skip the online portal, pick up a blank DL 44 at any field office and fill it out there. The DMV doesn’t offer a printable PDF because the paper stock and barcode have to meet scanner specifications. Walk-ins are accepted, but people with appointments are seen faster.

Documents to Bring

What you bring depends on whether you want a standard license or ID, or a federally compliant REAL ID. Every document has to show your true full legal name. If any two documents show different names, you need a certified name-change document, like a marriage certificate or court order, to bridge the gap.⁴

Standard (Non-REAL ID) credential

You need to prove legal presence in the United States and California residency. One original legal-presence document is required: a U.S. birth certificate from a state or territorial vital statistics office, a valid U.S. passport or passport card, a certificate of naturalization, or a permanent resident card.⁶ Residency can be shown with a rental or lease agreement, a utility bill, a mortgage bill, vehicle registration, an insurance document, a bank statement, or an IRS or California Franchise Tax Board tax return, among other options.⁷

REAL ID

A REAL ID carries a gold star in the upper-right corner of the card. It requires documents in three categories:⁸

One identity document, original or certified copy: a U.S. passport or passport card, a certified U.S. birth certificate, a certificate of naturalization or citizenship, or a valid permanent resident card. Abbreviated or abstract birth certificates aren’t accepted.
One Social Security number proof, no photocopies: your Social Security card, a W-2, an SSA-1099, a non-SSA-1099, or a paystub showing your full SSN.
Two different California residency documents: home utility bills (including cell phone), a deed or property tax bill, medical documents, vehicle registration, employment documents, school documents, insurance records, bank statements, a U.S. Postal Service change-of-address confirmation, or an IRS or California FTB tax return.

Bring originals even if you uploaded scans online. The DMV employee verifies the physical documents at your appointment.¹

If You Don’t Have a Social Security Number

California Vehicle Code section 1653.5 requires the application to include an SSN field, and the DMV can’t process your application without it. Your SSN is used for internal verification only and isn’t printed on your license.

If you’re not authorized to work in the United States and therefore have no SSN, California’s AB 60 program lets you apply by signing an affidavit confirming you’re ineligible for one.⁹ Instead of the standard legal-presence documents, AB 60 applicants prove identity with a valid foreign passport or a combination of secondary documents: school records, a foreign consular ID, a foreign national ID card, court documents filed within the U.S., a U.S. income tax return, or a foreign driver license with a certified English translation. The DMV runs these through a secondary verification process, so expect the appointment to run longer than a standard one.

What Happens at Your Appointment

Whether you started online or walked in with a blank form, the counter sequence is the same. Arrive with your original documents and give yourself time; the DMV doesn’t administer tests after 4:30 p.m.¹

A DMV employee reviews your application and documents, collects your thumbprint, and takes your photograph. You then complete a vision screening. If you wear corrective lenses during the screening, your license will carry a corrective-lenses restriction. If you don’t pass, the DMV will ask your eye doctor to complete a Report of Vision Examination (DL 62) before your application can go any further.¹⁰

The form also asks whether you want to register to vote or update your voter registration, and men aged 18 through 25 are asked whether they want to register with the Selective Service System. Both are optional on the form itself, though Selective Service registration is a separate federal requirement for most men in that age range.¹¹¹²

Knowledge and driving tests

If you’re applying for an original driver license, you’ll take a multiple-choice knowledge test on California traffic laws and road signs. You get three attempts; after that the DMV requires you to resubmit the application.¹⁰ After passing, you schedule a separate behind-the-wheel driving test appointment. Renewal applicants and ID-card-only applicants skip both tests.

Fees

You pay at your office visit. The DMV accepts cash, checks, money orders, and most debit and credit cards. Common fees:¹³

Class C license, original, renewal, or adding motorcycle: $46
Noncommercial Class A or B license: $46
Commercial Class C license, original or renewal: $59
Commercial Class A or B license, original: $100
State identification card, original, renewal, or replacement: $40

After You Leave the Office

Once you’ve passed any required tests and your documents check out, the DMV issues a temporary paper license on the spot. It’s valid for 60 days and serves as your legal authorization to drive until the plastic card arrives.¹⁴ The permanent card typically shows up in the mail within three to four weeks. If it hasn’t arrived before the temporary expires, contact the DMV to request a replacement or an extension.

ID-card-only applicants get a comparable temporary document. It isn’t driving authorization; it just confirms the application is in process while the permanent card is produced.

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California Department of Motor Vehicles. Apply Online for a Driver License or ID Card
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DMV CA. Change Gender on Driver’s License / ID Card
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California Department of Motor Vehicles. Update Information on Your Driver’s License or ID Card
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California DMV. Schedule an Appointment
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Legal Information Institute. Cal. Code Regs. Tit. 13, 15.00 – Information Required to Establish Legal Presence
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Legal Information Institute. Cal. Code Regs. Tit. 13, 15.01 – Acceptable Proof of California Residency
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California Department of Motor Vehicles. Easy as 1-2-3 REAL ID Document Checklist
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California DMV. AB 60 Wizard
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California Department of Motor Vehicles. Section 3 – The Testing Process
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Department of Justice. The National Voter Registration Act Of 1993
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California Department of Motor Vehicles. Driver’s Licenses