If you live in California and can’t prove lawful immigration status, you can still get a state-issued ID by applying for a driver’s license under Assembly Bill 60. There is no separate non-driver ID card for undocumented residents in California — the AB 60 program creates a standard Class C driver’s license that doubles as state-recognized identification. You apply at the DMV, prove who you are and where you live, pass a written and behind-the-wheel test, and pay a $46 fee.1California State Department of Motor Vehicles. Licensing Fees The card is marked “Federal Limits Apply,” which affects what you can use it for outside California.
Who Qualifies
You qualify if you live in California and cannot provide proof that your presence in the United States is authorized under federal law. That’s the core test: California residency plus inability to show legal immigration status. You still have to meet every other licensing requirement — the vision screening, the written knowledge test, and the behind-the-wheel driving test.2California Legislative Information. AB 60 Assembly Bill – AMENDED
The license you get is a standard Class C, covering passenger cars and light trucks. It’s not for commercial vehicles.3California State Department of Motor Vehicles. AB 60 Driver’s Licenses
Identity Documents the DMV Accepts
What you need depends on which documents you have. The DMV sorts accepted identity documents into tiers. If you have one of these, a single document is enough:
- Mexican passport issued 2008 or later, with digital photo and digital signature
- Mexican consular card (matrícula consular), 2014 or 2022 version
- Mexican electoral card, IFE 2013 or INE 2014 version
- A foreign passport approved by DMV, paired with a Social Security number that can be verified electronically
- An existing California driver’s license or ID card issued October 2000 or later
If you don’t have any of those, you can submit two documents from a second tier. That tier includes national ID cards and consular cards from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, South Korea, Nicaragua, Paraguay, and Peru, plus a foreign passport without a verifiable Social Security number.4California State Department of Motor Vehicles. AB 60 Wizard Each has to be a specific DMV-approved version, so run your documents through the DMV’s AB 60 Wizard online before your appointment.
If you have nothing from either tier, there’s a secondary review path that accepts school records, medical documents, and other alternative proof. It works, but it adds time.
Proving You Live in California
Separately from identity, you have to show you actually live in the state. The DMV wants documents that display your name and a physical California address: utility bills, mortgage or rent statements, bank statements, pay stubs, school enrollment documents, medical records, and insurance records all qualify.5Cornell Law Institute. Cal. Code Regs. Tit. 13, 15.01 – Acceptable Proof of California Residency A P.O. Box won’t do. Documents should be recent, and the name on your residency documents should match the name on your identity documents. If names don’t match because of marriage or another legal change, bring the document that bridges the gap, like a marriage certificate.
How the Application Works
You can start the application online through the DMV’s eDL 44 portal and upload supporting documents, then finish at a field office.6California State Department of Motor Vehicles. Driver’s License / ID Card Application You will still need to show up in person for the photo, thumbprint, vision check, and written test. Schedule through the DMV website or by calling 1-800-777-0133.
The application asks for a Social Security number. If you have one, state law requires you to provide it. If you’ve never been issued one, you sign a declaration under Vehicle Code Section 12801.9 stating that fact. Not having an SSN is not a disqualifier; the program exists precisely for people in that position.7California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code VEH 12801.9
At your appointment you pay the $46 fee, get your thumbprint scanned and photo taken, pass a vision screening, and sit for the written knowledge test on a computer. The test covers California traffic laws, road signs, and safe driving practices. Study the California Driver Handbook, which is published in multiple languages.8California State Department of Motor Vehicles. Driver’s Handbooks Your $46 covers up to three attempts; fail three times and you pay the fee again and start over.9California State Department of Motor Vehicles. Driver’s Licenses
Passing the written test gives you a temporary instruction permit. With that, you can practice driving as long as a licensed adult 25 or older is in the passenger seat. When you’re ready, schedule the behind-the-wheel test. Bring a vehicle that is registered, insured, and in safe working order; the examiner checks before you start. The driving test also allows up to three attempts under the same fee.
Pass the road test, and the DMV hands you a temporary paper license on the spot. Your permanent card arrives by mail in about three to four weeks. The temporary paper license is valid for 60 days. If the card hasn’t arrived by then, call 1-800-777-0133.9California State Department of Motor Vehicles. Driver’s Licenses
If Your Documents Can’t Be Verified
If the DMV cannot electronically verify your identity documents at the field office, you’ll receive a Secondary Review Referral Notice (Form DL 209A). That’s not a denial; it means your application is paused for closer review. Wait five business days after you get the notice, then go to dmv.ca.gov/SRA or call (855) 421-1001 to start the review. Within 30 days, the DMV mails you a letter scheduling an in-person interview, which can take up to an hour. If your documents check out, you get a letter telling you how to continue your application. If they don’t, you receive a denial letter and have the right to request a hearing.10California State Department of Motor Vehicles. Driver’s License Secondary Review Referral Process Secondary review can tack a month or more onto your timeline, which is why confirming your documents against the AB 60 Wizard before your first appointment is worth the effort.
What “Federal Limits Apply” Means
Your card will carry “Federal Limits Apply” on the front and “This card is not acceptable for official federal purposes” on the back. In California, that language has no practical effect on routine use — you can drive with it, open accounts with it, show it as ID in most everyday situations. Outside the state’s purposes, it hits a wall.
Since May 7, 2025, federal agencies began requiring REAL ID-compliant identification for official purposes, including boarding commercial flights, entering federal buildings, and accessing nuclear power plants.11Federal Register. Minimum Standards for Driver’s Licenses and Identification Cards Acceptable by Federal Agencies for Official Purposes An AB 60 license does not meet those standards. Some agencies are phasing in enforcement through May 2027.
For air travel, as of February 1, 2026, TSA requires a REAL ID-compliant license or another acceptable form of identification such as a valid passport to pass airport security. If you arrive with only an AB 60 license, TSA will refer you to its ConfirmID system, where you can pay a $45 fee for a 10-day travel verification window; expect delays.12Transportation Security Administration. TSA Introduces New $45 Fee Option for Travelers Without REAL ID A valid passport is the cleaner option if you have one. A temporary paper license is not accepted at TSA at all.
Privacy Protections and Their Limits
Vehicle Code Section 12801.9 includes privacy safeguards for AB 60 applicants. The DMV is not supposed to use information gathered during the application process for immigration enforcement, and the statute says the license is issued solely as authorization to drive.7California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code VEH 12801.9
Those protections have limits worth understanding before you apply. DMV records — your name, address, photograph, date of birth, and vehicle information — are accessible through a national data-sharing platform called Nlets, which federal agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement, routinely query. A 2020 letter from the acting DHS Secretary confirmed that ICE uses DMV records to verify addresses, identify people through facial recognition, and track vehicles. If ICE is already investigating someone specifically, an AB 60 application puts a current address and photograph into a database federal agents can search.
Local policing in California operates under separate rules. Under the California Values Act, state and local law enforcement agencies face limits on cooperating with federal immigration enforcement, and a local officer during a routine traffic stop cannot use the “Federal Limits Apply” marking as a reason to investigate your immigration status or detain you for ICE.
The honest summary: AB 60 does not pipe your information directly to immigration enforcement, but it does place your information in systems federal agencies can access. For most people, legal driving, insurance, and state-recognized ID outweigh that exposure. Anyone with an active immigration case or an outstanding removal order should talk to an immigration attorney before applying.
What to Do During a Traffic Stop
Hand the officer your AB 60 license the way any other driver would. California law bars state and local officers from using the “Federal Limits Apply” marking as a basis for investigating your immigration status, arresting you, or detaining you.7California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code VEH 12801.9 The license is valid proof that you’re authorized to drive, and officers have to treat it as such.
You are not required to answer questions about where you were born, your citizenship, or how long you’ve been in the country. Those questions aren’t relevant to a traffic stop. You have the right to remain silent beyond providing your license, registration, and insurance. If an officer asks about immigration status, you can politely decline to answer. Keep your license, current registration, and proof of insurance in the car at all times — driving uninsured is a separate California offense that can lead to fines and impoundment regardless of your license type.
Renewing an AB 60 License
AB 60 licenses are valid for five years. When renewal comes up, the DMV may ask for updated identity and residency documents, much as during the original application.3California State Department of Motor Vehicles. AB 60 Driver’s Licenses Don’t let the card lapse. Start renewal a few weeks before expiration to leave room for processing and any document verification delays, and bring updated documents if your name or address has changed.