How to Get a Guam Driver’s License: Tests, Fees, and Classes

To get a Guam driver’s license, you apply in person at the Department of Revenue and Taxation (DRT) Motor Vehicle Division at 1240 Route 16 in Barrigada, bring documents proving your identity, Guam residency, and Social Security number, and pass a vision screening, a written knowledge test, and a road test.¹ License terms run three, five, or eight years, with fees from $25 to $65. New drivers move through a three-stage graduated licensing system before earning full driving privileges.

Do You Actually Need a Guam License

If you already hold a valid driver’s license from a U.S. state or territory, you can drive on Guam for 30 days after arriving. After that, you need a Guam license.² The same 30-day window applies to license holders from Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Taiwan, European Union countries, Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Marshall Islands.¹

Foreign license holders can extend the 30-day period by registering the license with DRT and paying up to $25. The extension runs until one year after your arrival or the expiration date on your foreign license, whichever comes first.¹

Active duty military stationed on Guam can drive on a valid home-state license for the length of their tour, but only if that state automatically extends the license during active duty. If it doesn’t, you need to convert to a Guam license before yours expires.³ Federal employees driving government-owned vehicles on duty are exempt.¹

Documents to Bring

DRT has offered REAL ID-compliant licenses since 2018 alongside the standard version. For a REAL ID card, bring original documents in three categories.⁴

Identity and legal presence: a valid U.S. passport or a certified birth certificate filed with a state vital statistics office.

Guam residency: two documents such as utility bills, a lease or rental agreement, a bank statement, a property tax statement, or a bill from a mortgage company, insurer, or medical provider.

Social Security number: your Social Security card, a W-2GU or 1099 issued within the last five years, or an official taxpayer transcript from DRT.

The application asks for your full legal name, residential and mailing addresses, height, weight, hair color, and eye color.⁵ You can download it from the DRT website or pick one up at the Barrigada office. Applicants under 18 need a parent or legal guardian to appear in person and sign before any testing begins.²

If You’re Not a U.S. Citizen

Instead of a passport or birth certificate, prove lawful status with one of these:

A valid, unexpired Permanent Resident Card (Form I-551)
An unexpired Employment Authorization Document (Form I-766)
An unexpired foreign passport with a valid visa and an approved I-94 from your most recent U.S. entry

Applicants on a B-1/B-2 visitor visa must also show an Employment Authorization Card and an Adjustment of Status Application.⁴ Non-U.S. citizens are not eligible for online renewal and must handle every license transaction in person.

The Three Tests

Every new applicant takes a vision screening, a written knowledge test, and a practical road test.

The written test covers Guam traffic laws, road sign recognition, and right-of-way rules. It costs $10, or $15 for a foreign-language version. Foreign license holders converting to a Guam license take it too. Fail twice and you’ll have to complete a driver education course with at least eight hours of classroom instruction and four hours of in-car training before retesting. You get a maximum of three attempts.¹

For the road test, bring a registered and insured vehicle. An examiner inspects the lights, signals, and brakes before the drive, then evaluates maneuvers like parallel parking, three-point turns, and lane changes. DRT sometimes uses certified third-party providers to handle exam volume, but they apply the same standards.

Graduated Licensing for New Drivers

Under Public Law 25-096, new drivers pass through three stages before getting a full license.⁶

Stage 1: Learner’s Permit

Minimum age is 15½. You’ll pass a vision screening and the written knowledge test. The instruction permit costs $10 and lasts 120 days.¹ While you hold it:

If you’re under 18, a parent, legal guardian, or designated adult with a full license must be in the vehicle whenever you drive. If you’re 18 or older, a licensed driver at least 21 (or your spouse) must ride along.
Permit holders under 18 must log at least 50 hours of supervised driving, including 10 hours after 7:00 p.m.
Your blood alcohol content cannot exceed 0.02 behind the wheel.
You must go six straight months without an at-fault collision or any traffic violation to advance.⁶

Stage 2: Intermediate License

At 16, you can take the road test for an intermediate license after completing a DRT-approved driver’s education course. Holders under 18 face a nighttime curfew: a fully licensed adult must be in the vehicle from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. on weeknights and midnight to 6:00 a.m. on weekends, unless you’re commuting to or from work with proof of employment. Zero-tolerance alcohol still applies.⁶

Stage 3: Full License

Keep a clean record through the intermediate stage and you earn a full operator’s license with the supervision and curfew rules lifted.

License Classes

Most residents apply for a standard operator’s license, which covers personal vehicles. Other classes include:

Chauffeur’s license (Classes B, C, D) for commercial driving or specific vehicle types. Applicants must be at least 18, hold a Certificate of Completion from an approved course, and pass a class-specific exam. Chauffeur applicants must state the vehicle type or combination they want to operate.
Motorcycle (Class F), available at 16 with its own written and road tests.
Mini bus (Class G), modified vehicle (Class H), and other specialty classes.

Each class carries the same $25 base fee for a three-year term.¹

Fees and Term Length

Under 16 GCA § 3102, a three-year license costs $25 for any class. A five-year term is $45.¹ Public Law 37-126, enacted in late 2024, added an eight-year option at $65.

Other costs to expect:

Instruction permit (120 days): $10
Written test: $10, or $15 for a foreign-language version
Late renewal penalty: $5 for every three months past expiration
Temporary license (one year): $40
Reinstatement: $10¹

What Happens at the Motor Vehicle Division

The Barrigada office is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., excluding government holidays. A check-in system manages the queue, so plan for a wait.

When your number is called, a clerk reviews your application and documents against the REAL ID or standard license requirements. If everything checks out, a digital photo and signature are captured on the spot. Most new applicants leave with a temporary paper permit and receive the plastic card by mail or pickup within a few weeks.

Renewing Later

You can renew up to 90 days before your expiration date.⁷ Don’t let it lapse. The $5 late penalty compounds every three months after expiration, and driving on an expired license can bring fines or a requirement to retake your exams.¹

Online renewal is available through myid.guam.gov, but only if all of the following apply:

You’re 18 or older.
Your name, gender, and addresses haven’t changed since your last license.
You have no new medical conditions that restrict driving.
Your DRT photo on file was taken within the last 16 years.
Your current license was issued after July 2016.
You can provide a vision exam report from the last year.

New licenses, learner’s permits, and renewals for non-U.S. citizens can’t go through the portal. Any name or address change also requires an in-person visit.

Driving on a Suspended License Is a Separate Problem

Once you have a license, keep it valid. Driving while you know, or should know, your license is suspended or revoked is a misdemeanor on Guam. The penalty is up to a year in jail, a fine up to $1,000, or both, and a court can add up to five more years of suspension.⁸

1
Guam Code Annotated. 16 GCA Vehicles Ch. 3 General Provisions
2
Department of Revenue and Taxation. Guam Driver’s Handbook
3
TRICARE Guam. Vehicles
4
Guam Department of Revenue and Taxation. Real ID Policy
5
Department of Revenue and Taxation. Guam Driver’s License and Identification Card Application Form
6
Guam Legislature. Public Law 25-096 – Graduated Driver’s Licenses
7
Department of Revenue and Taxation. Instructions for Temporary On-Island Mail-in Application for Non-Real ID Driver’s Licenses and Guam IDs
8
Guam Code Annotated. 16 GCA Vehicles Ch. 18 – Offenses