How to Get a Puerto Rican Driver’s License: CESCO, Tests, REAL ID

To get a Puerto Rican driver’s license, you apply through a CESCO office run by the Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTOP): submit an application form and a physician’s medical certification, present a non-laminated Social Security card, a birth certificate or passport, and proof of a local address, pay the fees with government revenue stamps, and pass a written knowledge test and a road exam. If you already hold a valid license from another U.S. state or territory, you can skip the learner’s permit and the written test entirely.¹

The rest of this guide walks through each step for a standard passenger-vehicle license. Puerto Rico issues five other license classes (chauffeur, heavy motor vehicle in three types, motorcycle, and tractor or tow truck), each with its own requirements.²

Who Can Apply

You can apply for a learner’s permit at 16 with written parental consent, and for a full driver’s license at 18 without a guardian’s authorization. Every applicant, at any age, must be certified by a licensed physician as physically capable and without apparent mental disability to drive.³

Before you sit for the road test, you must hold a learner’s permit for at least one month and no more than two years. Anyone who already holds a valid license from any U.S. state or territory is exempt from the permit requirement and goes straight to the exchange process at CESCO.¹

Documents and Forms to Bring

Assemble everything before you book your appointment. Discrepancies between forms and supporting documents are one of the most common reasons applications stall.

Identification and residency:

Social Security card, which cannot be laminated. If yours is laminated or missing, a W-2 tax withholding form can substitute.⁴
Proof of identity: a Puerto Rico birth certificate or a valid U.S. passport.⁴
Proof of physical address: a recent water, electric, phone, or bank statement dated within the last 60 days.⁴

Two DTOP forms:

Form DTOP-DIS-256, the license application, which asks for personal information including height, weight, and eye color.⁵
Form DTOP-DIS-260, the medical certification, signed by a physician licensed in Puerto Rico or in the jurisdiction where you reside. It is valid for six months from the date the doctor signs it.⁶

Both forms are available on the CESCO website and at any CESCO office.⁷

What It Costs and How You Pay

Puerto Rico does not take license fees at the counter. Instead, you buy Internal Revenue Stamps (Sellos de Rentas Internas) in advance and present them with your application. Each stamp has a code tied to a specific service.

For a standard new license or an on-time renewal, you need a $12.00 stamp (code 5120) plus a $2.00 voucher (code 0842), for a base total of $14.00. The practical driving exam requires a separate $16.00 stamp plus the $2.00 voucher. Choosing a REAL ID-compliant license adds a $17.00 voucher (code 2028), bringing that portion to $31.00.⁸

You can buy stamps online through Colecturía Digital, at a Colecturía tax office run by the Department of the Treasury, or at authorized bank branches including Banco Popular and FirstBank.⁹ Bring the physical stamps or the digital codes to your appointment for validation.

The Written Knowledge Test

You take the written test before you can hold a learner’s permit. The in-person CESCO version has 20 multiple-choice questions and a 20-minute time limit. A virtual option called the AVI exam has 30 questions and a 40-minute limit. Either version requires 70% correct to pass: 14 out of 20, or 21 out of 30.

The questions cover road signs, traffic signals, right-of-way, Puerto Rico speed limits, sharing the road with pedestrians and motorcyclists, the effects of alcohol, and adverse weather conditions. The official driver’s manual is the most direct study source. If you fail, you can retake it, but each attempt requires new stamp fees.

Learner’s Permit Rules

With the permit, you can drive on public roads only when accompanied by someone at least 21 years old who holds a license valid for the type of vehicle you are driving and who is in physical and mental condition to take over. Motorcycles are the exception, since a motorcycle cannot carry a supervising driver.¹⁰

The permit is valid for two years and cannot be renewed. After it expires, you have a 30-day grace period to take the practical exam; miss that window and you start over with a new permit.¹⁰ Because you must hold the permit for at least one month before the road test, book that appointment early.

The Road Test

The practical exam checks your ability to handle a vehicle on the road, and you must pass it before DTOP issues a full license.¹ Bring a properly registered and insured vehicle to the CESCO, along with the separate revenue stamps for the practical test. The examiner evaluates basic skills including turning, parking, signaling, and obeying traffic signs.

Booking and Completing Your CESCO Appointment

All license transactions run through CESCO by appointment. Schedule through the CESCO website or the CESCO Digital mobile app; walk-ins are generally not accepted for licensing.¹¹ You pick a location, date, and time when booking.

On appointment day, bring the complete package: both completed forms, identification, proof of address, medical certification, and your revenue stamps. A CESCO official reviews everything at check-in, and you take a vision screening. If everything is in order, the license is often printed the same day. In some cases you receive a temporary receipt to use as proof of licensure until the physical card arrives by mail.

REAL ID: Decide at the Counter

Since May 7, 2025, TSA no longer accepts a standard Puerto Rico driver’s license at airport security for domestic flights. A REAL ID-compliant license has a star in the upper right corner.¹² Without it, you need a passport or other federal ID to fly domestically or enter federal facilities.¹³

The document list is the same as for a standard license; you just add the $17.00 voucher (code 2028) to your stamp purchase.⁴ If you already hold a current standard license, you can upgrade at any CESCO with the documents and the extra stamp rather than waiting for renewal.

Renewal Timing

A standard Puerto Rico license is valid for eight years, and the expiration date tracks your birthday. You can start renewal up to 60 days before the expiration date. Renewal takes the same core documents: a current DTOP-DIS-260 medical certification, the application form, proof of identity, and revenue stamps.⁵

Renew within 30 days of expiration and the standard stamp fee applies. Let it lapse beyond 30 days and the stamp fee rises significantly, and you may be required to retake both the written and practical exams. Drivers over 70 cannot renew online and must visit a CESCO in person for a vision test; a physician may add restrictions such as daytime-only driving.

Transferring In From Another State

If you are moving to Puerto Rico with a valid license from another U.S. state or territory, you do not need a learner’s permit and you do not take the written test. The law waives those requirements for anyone already holding a current U.S. jurisdiction license.¹ You still submit the standard document set (Social Security card, birth certificate or passport, local proof of address, and medical certification), buy the revenue stamps, and complete the exchange at a CESCO. Bring your current out-of-state license to the appointment.

Going the other way, most states allow a 30-to-90-day window to exchange a Puerto Rico license for a local one after you establish residency. The exact window varies, so check the new state’s DMV shortly after you arrive.

1
Justia. Puerto Rico Code Title 9 5056 – Requirements for Driving Motor Vehicles
2
Justia. Puerto Rico Code Title 9 5053 – Classes of Driver’s Licenses
3
Departamento de Transportación y Obras Públicas. DTOP-DIS-260 Certificacion Medica para Certificado de Licencia de Conducir
4
Gobierno de Puerto Rico. Real ID – DTOP
5
Departamento de Transportación y Obras Públicas. DTOP-DIS-256 Solicitud para Certificado de Licencia
6
Departamento de Transportación y Obras Públicas. DTOP-DIS-260 Certificacion Medica
7
Gobierno de Puerto Rico. Solicitud de Licencias y Formularios
8
Colecturía Digital. Manual de Sellos y Comprobantes Digitales
9
Colecturía Digital. Colecturía Digital
10
Justia. Puerto Rico Code Title 9 5058 – Requirements for the Learner’s Permit
11
Gobierno de Puerto Rico. Directoria de Servicios al Conductor
12
Transportation Security Administration. The Countdown Is On for Puerto Rico Residents to Be REAL ID Compliant
13
USAGov. How to Get a REAL ID and Use It for Travel