Driving Tests

Moved to Connecticut? How Long You Have to Transfer Your Driver's License

informational·how to guide·Published May 2, 2026

How long do you have to transfer your out-of-state driver's license to Connecticut?

Connecticut law lets you drive on a valid out-of-state license for 60 days after you establish residence, if you drive the same class of vehicle. Get your Connecticut license inside that time. At an in-person DMV appointment you take a vision test, hand in your old license, and pay an $84 license fee and a $40 application fee. The new license arrives by mail within 20 business days.

Where these rules come from

The 60-day rule is in Connecticut General Statutes Sec. 14-36, as shown in the 2026 Supplement. The steps, documents and fees come from the Connecticut DMV page on transferring an out-of-state license. The rules for 16- and 17-year-olds come from the Connecticut DMV teen license page. We also used Sec. 14-111k, the DMV pages on getting a license and a learner's permit, and the Connecticut Driver's Manual. This guide is current as of 2026. Confirm the rules with the Connecticut DMV (portal.ct.gov/dmv) before you drive.

Connecticut's 60-day rule for new residents

Once you live in Connecticut, you have 60 days to swap your old license for a Connecticut license. During those 60 days you may drive on your valid out-of-state license, but only a vehicle of the same class as the one on that license. The law has said 60 days since Public Act 21-106 replaced the old 30 days.
The 60 days count from the day you establish residence, not from the expiry date of your old license. Book your appointment soon after you move, so that you have your Connecticut license before day 60.

How to transfer your license, step by step

1
Check that your license qualifies
It must be current, or expired for no more than two years. A license from another U.S. state or territory, Germany, Canada or France can transfer without a learner's permit.
2
Gather your papers
Bring your old license, acceptable identity documents and the completed application for a non-commercial driver's license (Form R-229). Your out-of-state license with photo is on the DMV list of secondary identity documents. To prove that you live in Connecticut, bring two pieces of mail from two different senders, each dated within 90 days (the DMV list names some exceptions).
3
Make an in-person appointment
Book an in-person appointment. The transfer is available at DMV hub offices and at select branch offices, and the vision test is at a full service office. If you wear glasses or contact lenses, bring them.
4
Pay and hand in your old license
The DMV lists an $84 license fee and a $40 application fee. Connecticut law does not let the DMV issue your license until you surrender an unexpired license from another state. Before it issues the license, the DMV has you watch a safe driving video and gives you safe driving materials.
5
Wait for the mail
Your Connecticut license arrives by mail within 20 business days. You can track the delivery online.

Do you take a knowledge test or a road test?

For an adult with a valid license, the DMV transfer steps list a vision test, not a knowledge test or a road test. You do not need a Connecticut learner's permit first. The law lets the DMV commissioner waive part or all of the license examination when you held a license from a U.S. state, territory or possession that requires a similar examination.
The road test comes back in two cases: your license expired more than two years ago, or you are 16 or 17.

Your car comes next: registration and insurance

The DMV transfer page says to move your out-of-state vehicle registration to Connecticut within 90 days. The free practice question on vehicle registration checks the basic rule.
Connecticut law requires insurance on a registered vehicle at all times, with no gap in coverage. Test yourself with the free practice question on required insurance.

What if your license is lost, expired or from somewhere else?

You lost your out-of-state license

Bring a certified copy of your out-of-state driving history record, dated within 60 days. Your old state is told about your new Connecticut license and can cancel the old one.

Your license expired more than two years ago

You cannot transfer it. Get a Connecticut learner's permit, complete an 8-hour safe driving practices course at a Connecticut-licensed driving school, and then pass a skills test at a DMV office.

You hold only an out-of-state learner's permit

It does not transfer. Start with a Connecticut permit.

Your license is from a country other than Germany, Canada or France

You cannot transfer it. Get an adult learner's permit first. The guide to a Connecticut foreign license transfer has the details.

You hold an out-of-state drive-only license

You cannot transfer it at this time. Apply for a Connecticut drive-only license instead.

You hold a commercial driver's license (CDL)

You must apply for a Connecticut CDL within 30 days of your residency in Connecticut.

If you are 16 or 17

A license holder under 16 cannot transfer a license, and Connecticut law bars anyone from letting a person under 16 drive. At 16 or 17, first complete the 8-hour safe driving practices class, with the 2-hour parent or guardian training, at a Connecticut commercial driving school or secondary school. Then, at a DMV hub office or the Enfield office, show the class certificate (EDEC), pass a vision test and a road test, and surrender your out-of-state license. The guide to the 8-hour safe driving course and parent class explains the class. Once you hold the license, the passenger rules for newly licensed 16- and 17-year-olds apply to you.

Connecticut time limits for new residents at a glance

Connecticut time limits for new residents at a glance
What	Time limit
Drive on your out-of-state license	60 days after you establish residence, same vehicle class
Apply for a Connecticut CDL	Within 30 days of residency
Move your vehicle registration	Within 90 days, as the DMV transfer page says
Proof-of-address mail	Dated within 90 days
Driving record if you lost your license	Dated within 60 days
Old license that expired	No more than 2 years ago
New license by mail	Within 20 business days

Key takeaways

State law gives you 60 days to drive on a valid out-of-state license after you establish residence in Connecticut, in the same class of vehicle.
Book an in-person DMV appointment early. Bring your old license, identity documents, Form R-229, two pieces of Connecticut mail and the $84 and $40 fees.
A license expired for more than two years, an out-of-state learner's permit or drive-only license, and a license from a country other than Canada, Germany or France do not transfer.
Teens aged 16 and 17 add the 8-hour class, a road test and a visit to a hub office or the Enfield office. Under 16, you cannot transfer.
Next step: practice the rules of the road on the free Connecticut Class D practice test.

Connecticut license transfer: common questions

What happens if I keep driving on my old license after 60 days?

The law lets a new resident drive on a valid out-of-state license for 60 days after establishing residence, in the same vehicle class. After day 60, the law no longer covers driving on that license in Connecticut. Get your Connecticut license before then, and book the in-person appointment soon after you move.

How much does it cost to transfer a license to Connecticut?

The DMV lists two fees for a transfer: an $84 license fee and a $40 application fee, $124 in total. If you pay by check, bring two checks made payable to "DMV", one for each fee. Look at the DMV fee list again before your appointment.

Can I keep my old license as a spare?

No. Connecticut law does not let the DMV issue a license while you still hold an unexpired license from another state, unless you surrender it. So you hand in your old card at the DMV as part of the transfer, whether you are an adult or a teen.

Can I transfer my license if another state suspended it?

Connecticut law bars the DMV from issuing a license to an applicant whose license is withdrawn in another member state of the driver license agreement because of a reportable conviction or administrative action. The commissioner may still issue a license in some cases, for example when the withdrawal happened five years or more before you apply.

Do college students or military members need a Connecticut license?

Not always. A full-time student who lives in Connecticut but keeps a permanent home in another state or country does not need a Connecticut license. Active-duty military personnel and their dependents also do not need one. Other new residents follow the 60-day rule.

Can I transfer a license from Puerto Rico or another U.S. territory?

Yes. A Puerto Rico license counts as an out-of-state license, and the DMV checks it with Puerto Rico before the transfer. With a license from American Samoa, Guam or the U.S. Virgin Islands, first get your driver record history (an abstract) from your home territory.