Driving Tests

Moving to Minnesota: How to Transfer Your Driver’s License (60-Day Rule)

informational·how to guide·Published July 28, 2026

How long do I have to transfer my driver's license when I move to Minnesota?

You have 60 days after you become a Minnesota resident (30 days for a commercial license). If you are 21 or older and hold a valid license from another U.S. state, a listed U.S. territory, the U.S. military or Canada, you pass a vision check and apply. You take no written test and no road test.

Where the Minnesota transfer rules come from

The 60-day rule is in Minnesota Statutes section 171.03. The test rules come from the DVS new resident page and the Minnesota Driver's Manual. Minnesota Statutes section 171.13 and the DVS pages on fees, document lists, driver education, new drivers 18 and older, REAL ID and Enhanced cards add the rest. This guide is current as of 2026. Confirm the rules with Minnesota Driver and Vehicle Services (dps.mn.gov/divisions/dvs) before you drive.

Who is a new resident, and what do the 60 days mean?

A new resident is a person who has never lived in Minnesota, or a person who lived there before and moves back. Minnesota law lets you drive on a valid license from another state or jurisdiction, or from the U.S. military, for not more than 60 days after you become a resident. After that, you need a Minnesota license or permit. A commercial license holder has only 30 days.

Which tests do you take when you move to Minnesota?

Which tests do you take when you move to Minnesota?
Your situation	What you do
21 or older, with a valid, unexpired, non-commercial license from another U.S. state, a listed U.S. territory, the U.S. military or Canada	Pass a vision check and apply. No written test and no road test.
Under 21, with a license from one of those places	Pass the Class D written test.
Your license from one of those places is expired	Pass the Class D written test.
That license expired more than one year ago	Pass the Class D written test and the road test.
You hold a permit from one of those places	Take a written test to keep your permit.
You hold a license from a country other than the U.S. or Canada	Pass a written test, a vision test and a road test. Bring a translation if the license is not in English.
Your license is from Germany (age 18 or older) or Taiwan (age 21 or older), and it is valid or expired less than one year	Surrender the license, pass the written test and a vision check, and apply. No road test. Taiwan also needs a verification certificate.
You never held a license in any state or country	Pass a written test and a vision test, get an instruction permit, then pass a road test.

What if your license comes from another country?

With a license from a country other than the U.S. or Canada, you do not need a permit before your first road test. Do not get a Minnesota ID card before you get the license. Germany and Taiwan are the two exceptions to the road test, as the table shows. The guide to a foreign driver's license in Minnesota covers the full process. The list of places can change, so check the DVS new resident page for your place.

How to transfer your license to Minnesota

1
Count your 60 days
The 60 days start when you become a Minnesota resident. Plan your visit to DVS before they run out.
2
Gather your documents
For a standard license, bring two primary documents, or one primary and one secondary document. A document in another language needs a translation and a translation attestation. Know your Social Security number if you are eligible for one.
3
Do the vision check
DVS checks that your vision meets minimum standards: 20/40, with or without glasses or contact lenses, and 105 degrees of peripheral vision. You can bring a vision report from your eye doctor instead.
4
Bring all your other licenses and ID cards
You cannot get your Minnesota license until you present all your other driver's licenses and ID cards to DVS.
5
Take any test your case needs
Use the table above. You can take only one written test a day, and you need 80 percent to pass.
6
Pay the fee
The Class D license fee is $46 (U.S. dollars) on the DVS fee page as of 2026.

Standard, REAL ID or Enhanced license?

Since May 2025, a Minnesotan who is 18 or older cannot use a standard license to board a domestic flight. You need a REAL ID, an Enhanced card or another federally approved ID, such as a passport. A REAL ID needs two different documents that prove Minnesota residence; the guide to REAL ID documents in Minnesota lists them. An Enhanced card is for U.S. citizens 16 or older.

Moving to Minnesota with a teen permit

You are under 18 and hold an out-of-state instruction permit

Present the permit and pass the Class D written test to get a Minnesota permit.

You want your out-of-state permit time to count toward a Minnesota license

At the road test, show a certified driving record from your previous state that shows valid driving privileges for the last six months. Also bring proof of driver training equal to Minnesota's 30 hours of classroom and 6 hours behind the wheel.

You are under 18 and hold no valid license from another state

You need a certificate that proves you finished an approved driver education course to get a Minnesota license or permit.

You are under 15

Minnesota law does not allow you to drive, even with an out-of-state permit.

If you must test: written test and road test details

Study the Minnesota Driver's Manual and try the DVS practice test. The written test is offered in English, ASL, Somali, Hmong, Russian, Vietnamese, Karen and Spanish. For another language, you can ask for a verbal exam. It is not offered at every DVS exam station, it has a one-hour limit, and you bring your own interpreter who holds a valid Minnesota driver's license. For the road test, bring proof of insurance for the car you use. A no-show, or a cancel or reschedule less than 24 hours before, costs $40. A cancel or reschedule 24 to 72 hours before costs $20.

Practice the rules a new resident should know

Two of our free practice questions fit this topic. One asks the longest time you may drive on a valid Class D license from another state after you move. Another checks the written test pass mark. They are practice questions in English only, not questions from the real test.

Key takeaways for moving to Minnesota

You have 60 days after you become a resident to get a Minnesota license, and 30 days with a commercial license.
At 21 or older with a valid license from another U.S. state, a listed U.S. territory, the U.S. military or Canada, you need only a vision check and an application.
An expired license, an age under 21 or a license from another country adds a written test, and sometimes a road test.
Bring all your other licenses and ID cards to DVS, and choose a REAL ID or an Enhanced card if you want to board domestic flights.
Next step: practice for the written test on the free Minnesota Class D practice test.

Moving to Minnesota: common questions

I lived in Minnesota before. Do I count as a new resident when I move back?

Yes. DVS says a new resident can be a person who lived in Minnesota before and moves back. You then have 60 days after you become a resident to get a Minnesota license. At 21 or older with a valid, unexpired license from another state, you need a vision check and an application. If that license is expired, you must pass the written test.

Can I transfer a Puerto Rico or Guam driver's license to Minnesota?

Yes. The DVS list of places for a transfer includes Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands. At 21 or older, with a valid, unexpired, non-commercial license from one of these places, you take no written test and no road test. Under 21, you pass the Class D written test.

What if my out-of-state license is expired?

You must pass the Class D written test, even if you are 21 or older. If the license expired more than one year ago, you must also pass the road test. You can take only one written test a day, and you need 80 percent to pass. A vision check and the application are still part of the visit.

Can I transfer my motorcycle endorsement to Minnesota?

Yes, if the endorsement is on a valid, unexpired out-of-state license. You get the Minnesota motorcycle endorsement when you pay the fees. If your license is expired and you want the endorsement, you must pass a written test and a road test and pay the fees.

How long do I have to register my car after moving to Minnesota?

You have up to 60 days after you become a resident to register your vehicle in Minnesota. Bring the current vehicle title or registration card and your driver's license or other valid ID to your nearest deputy registrar's office. Registration is a separate step from your license.