NY HAZ-44 HazMat Endorsement Application: Filing, Test, and TSA Check

To add a hazmat endorsement to your New York Commercial Driver License, you complete the NY HAZ-44 hazmat endorsement application, mail it with proof of legal status to the DMV’s HazMat Unit in Albany, pass a written knowledge test at any DMV office, and clear a fingerprint-based TSA background check through IdentoGo. Plan on at least 60 days from start to finish.

Before You Start

You must be at least 21 and already hold a valid New York Class A, B, or C CDL.¹ Federal rules under 49 CFR 1572.105 require that you be a U.S. national, lawful permanent resident, refugee, asylee, or a nonimmigrant with valid work authorization; applicants outside those categories will be denied by TSA regardless of driving qualifications.²

You also need a current DOT medical examiner’s certificate on file with the DMV. Hazmat drivers fall into a non-excepted classification and cannot self-certify out of the medical requirement; if your certificate lapses, the DMV can downgrade your CDL.

If you have never held a hazmat endorsement before, federal Entry-Level Driver Training rules require you to finish an approved HazMat theory course before you sit for the written test.³ The provider must be listed on the FMCSA Training Provider Registry at tpr.fmcsa.dot.gov, and the school reports your completion there so the DMV can let you test.⁴ The curriculum covers classification, placarding, loading and segregation, emergency response, and security awareness. There is no behind-the-wheel component. ELDT does not apply if you are renewing or transferring an endorsement you already hold from another state.

Filling Out the HAZ-44

Download the form from dmv.ny.gov or pick one up at any motor vehicle office.⁵ It is a single page of personal information plus the list of acceptable legal-status documents. You will enter:

Your full legal name, exactly as it appears on your government-issued ID.
Your residential address. Use your actual home address, not a P.O. box.
Your current New York CDL number.
Your alien registration number, if you are a naturalized citizen or lawful permanent resident.

The form itself does not ask for a Social Security Number, despite what some guides claim.⁵ Check every field before mailing. An incorrect CDL number or a P.O. box in the address field are the common reasons the HazMat Unit returns applications.

Proof of Legal Status

Include a photocopy of at least one document from Section III. Acceptable options include:⁵

An unexpired U.S. passport.
A certified birth certificate filed with a U.S. state or territorial vital statistics office.
A Consular Report of Birth Abroad (Form FS-545 or DS-1350).
A Certificate of Naturalization (Form N-550 or N-570).
A Certificate of Citizenship (Form N-560 or N-561).
An unexpired Permanent Resident Card (Form I-551).

Send a photocopy only. The HazMat Unit will not return originals if you mail them.

Where to Mail It

You cannot submit the HAZ-44 at a DMV counter. Mail the completed form and your legal-status copy to:¹

HazMat Unit
NYS DMV
6 Empire State Plaza, Room 331
Albany, NY 12228⁵

You can mail the form before or after taking the written test. TSA will not start the background check until it has both your application and your fingerprints, so getting the paperwork into Albany early gives the clock a head start.⁶

The Written Knowledge Test

Take the HazMat knowledge test at any New York DMV office. The fee is $5.00.¹ Questions cover identification of hazardous materials, loading procedures, placarding, emergency response, and the security plan material in the CDL manual’s HazMat sections. You need 80% correct to pass.⁶

If you fail, you pay the $5.00 fee again for each retake. There is no mandatory waiting period, and whether you can retest the same day is up to the office manager. You can retake as many times as needed.⁶ If you are adding HazMat at the same time you first apply for a CDL permit, the initial $10.00 CDL application fee covers all written tests taken that day; the $5.00 fee applies only to attempts after that.⁷

Fingerprinting and the TSA Background Check

New York uses IdentoGo for fingerprinting rather than the TSA enrollment centers used in most other states.⁸ Schedule an appointment at uenroll.identogo.com or call 1-877-472-6915. Walk-ins are not accepted.¹ Bring your New York CDL and one of the secondary identity proofs listed on form HAZ-600.

The TSA security threat assessment fee is $85.25 for new and renewing applicants. Holders of a valid TWIC card qualify for a reduced $41.00 rate under TSA’s comparability program, but your hazmat endorsement will then expire with your TWIC card.⁹

Once TSA has both your fingerprints and the DMV-forwarded application, the background check typically takes 30 to 60 days. TSA recommends enrolling at least 60 days before you need the endorsement.⁶ If more than 60 days pass with no result, contact TSA customer service; they may need additional documents. The DMV adds the H or X endorsement to your CDL only after it receives a “clear” determination from TSA.

If TSA Denies You

TSA evaluates criminal history, immigration status, and potential security threats under 49 CFR 1572.5.¹⁰ Permanent disqualifiers include espionage, treason, murder, and crimes involving weapons of mass destruction. A second tier of offenses — including assault with intent to murder, arson, robbery, and drug trafficking — disqualifies you if the conviction or release from incarceration occurred within the past seven years. Extensive criminal history, a foreign imprisonment longer than 365 consecutive days, or violations of transportation security regulations can also lead to denial.¹¹

If TSA issues an Initial Determination of Threat Assessment, you have 60 days from the date you receive it to act. You can submit a written reply, request copies of the materials TSA relied on, or ask for a time extension.¹² Do nothing in those 60 days and the initial determination becomes final.

Renewing Later

The TSA security threat assessment is valid for five years.⁸ Renewal is the same process: new HAZ-44 mailed to the HazMat Unit with fresh legal-status proof, new IdentoGo fingerprinting, and a repeat of the written knowledge test. You must pass the test within the two years before your CDL expires, and you can take it when you renew the CDL or separately beforehand. You cannot renew by phone or at a DMV office. If you fail the background check or the test, the DMV reissues your CDL without the endorsement.⁶

1
New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. CDL Endorsements
2
eCFR. 49 CFR Part 1572 – Credentialing and Security Threat Assessments
3
FMCSA. Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT)
4
FMCSA. FMCSA Training Provider Registry
5
New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. Application for a Hazardous Materials Endorsement
6
New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. Renew a Hazardous Materials (HazMat) Endorsement
7
New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. Get a Commercial Driver License (CDL)
8
Transportation Security Administration. HAZMAT Endorsement
9
TSA Enrollment by IDEMIA. HAZMAT Endorsement (HME) Threat Assessment Program
10
eCFR. 49 CFR 1572.5 – Standards for Security Threat Assessments
11
Transportation Security Administration. Disqualifying Offenses and Other Factors
12
eCFR. 49 CFR 1515.5 – Appeal of Initial Determination of Threat Assessment