How to Fill Out Form DS-115: NY Request for Driving Privileges

Form DS-115 is the one-page request New York uses to clear or restore driving privileges for people who no longer live in the state. You fill it out, enclose a $100 non-refundable check or money order payable to the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles, and mail everything to the Driver Improvement Unit in Albany. No office visit, no in-person appearance — the entire process runs by mail.¹

Who Should Use DS-115

The form is for people who live outside New York and have an unresolved issue on their New York driving record that is now blocking them from getting a license in their new state. The address field on the form itself asks for a “Current Out-of-State Residence Address,” which tells you who it is built for.¹

If you still live in New York, this is the wrong form. In-state restorations typically go through a DMV office or follow a relicensing track that matches the specific revocation. There is also a separate process for alcohol-related revocations where the driver never participated in a Drinking Driver Program, and a separate joint DMV/DOCCS program for people seeking state IDs around release from incarceration. None of those use DS-115 or the $100 Driver Improvement Unit fee.²³⁴

How to Fill Out the Form

Download the PDF from the NY DMV website, print it, and complete it by hand in ink. The Driver Improvement Unit processes these manually, so write clearly.¹

Full Last Name, Full First Name, MI. Use your full legal name as it appeared on your New York license or permit. If your name has changed since then, include documentation such as a marriage certificate or court order with your mailing.
Daytime Phone Number. A number where the Driver Improvement Unit can reach you with questions. Include the area code.
Sex. Mark M, F, or X.
NYS Driver License, Learner Permit, or Non-Driver ID Card Number. Enter your old New York number if you have it. The field is marked “if available,” so a missing number is not a reason to delay — the DMV can look you up by name and date of birth.
Date of Birth. Use mm/dd/yy format.
Current Out-of-State Residence Address. Your physical address in your current state, including apartment number if any.
Mailing Address If Different Than Residence. Only complete this if your mail goes somewhere else, such as a P.O. Box.
Signature and Date. Sign and date it. An unsigned form will be returned.

If you are sending supporting documents — proof of a completed Drinking Driver Program, name change paperwork, receipts showing fines paid — send photocopies, not originals. Mail gets lost.

Fee and Mailing Address

The fee is $100, non-refundable, by check or money order payable to the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles. Do not send cash. Without payment, the request will not be processed.¹

Mail the form, payment, and any supporting copies to:

NYS Department of Motor Vehicles
Driver Improvement Unit
6 Empire State Plaza, Room 336
Albany, NY 12228

Clear Your Holds Before You Pay

Submitting DS-115 with $100 does not guarantee clearance. If your record has unpaid fines, an outstanding driver responsibility assessment, a child support suspension, or a tax suspension, the DMV will not restore your privileges until those are resolved separately — and the fee is gone regardless of outcome.²

Common blocks that follow an out-of-state driver include alcohol or drug convictions (which can carry mandatory waiting periods and may require proof of completing a Drinking Driver Program), unpaid fines or driver responsibility assessments, child support suspensions that must be cleared through the child support enforcement unit, and tax suspensions for unpaid obligations over $10,000 that must be worked out with the Department of Taxation and Finance.

Before mailing anything, request an abstract of your New York driving record. The abstract lists every active suspension and revocation along with its reason, so you can tackle the underlying issues first and submit DS-115 once there is actually something clearable.²

What Happens After You Mail It

The Driver Improvement Unit reviews your record to confirm that any mandatory waiting periods have passed, fines and assessments are paid, and required programs are complete. If something is still outstanding, the unit will usually write back to the address on your form.

When clearance is granted, New York notifies the National Driver Register and the applicable interstate compact, which lifts the block that was keeping your new state from issuing you a license. You then apply through your current state’s DMV using its normal process. DS-115 does not itself produce a license or ID card.

Processing times are not printed on the form. Mail-based NY DMV transactions generally run several weeks. If you need an answer sooner — a new job tied to a valid license, for example — call the Driver Improvement Unit after two to three weeks to ask where your application stands.

1
New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. DS-115: Request for NYS Driving Privileges
2
New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. Request Restoration After a Driver License Revocation
3
New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. Relicensing for Non-Participants
4
New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. DMV Announces New Program To Provide State-Issued IDs To Formerly Incarcerated New Yorkers Upon Release