Ohio driver's license and ID for new residents

Step 1 — Mark the day you become an Ohioan

The BMV counts you as a resident once you take a job, sign a lease, buy a home or enroll children in school; your 30 days start then (BMV — New Residents).

• Unexpired license from another U.S. state (not commercial), age 16 or older: bring it and your documents to any deputy registrar and pass a vision screening (BMV — New Residents).
• Expired license, or none: you go through testing (BMV — New Residents).
• License from another country: that page speaks only of out-of-state licenses, so ask the BMV how the 30 days apply to you. Its permit rules mention drivers licensed abroad getting a temporary permit (BMV — First Issuance), so plan for Steps 4 to 6 unless Step 5’s exemption covers you.

Only need an ID? A deputy registrar issues Ohio ID cards (BMV — New Residents), with no minimum age, valid four or eight years (BMV — ID Cards).

Step 2 — Know which card your status gives you

• Green card holders: a valid Permanent Resident Card (Form I-551) gets a regular Ohio license that expires in four or eight years, depending on your choice and qualification (BMV — Non-U.S. Citizens).
• Other non-citizens with legal presence: Ohio issues a “limited term non-renewable/non-transferable” license or ID card, which ends on the same date as your USCIS document, regardless of federal grace periods that extend that date (BMV — Non-U.S. Citizens). It works for driving in other states, but can’t be renewed in Ohio or transferred to another state, so you bring current USCIS documents and proof of Ohio residency every time (BMV — Non-U.S. Citizens).
• Compliant or Standard: the Compliant card has a star and works for domestic flights and federal facilities; a Standard card needs a passport or another TSA-approved document beside it there (BMV — Real ID). For a first Ohio card, you bring every required document either way (BMV — Real ID).

The name on your USCIS documents becomes the name on your Ohio card (BMV — Non-U.S. Citizens). What each paper is: understanding your immigration documents.

Step 3 — Build your document file

The BMV lists common proofs of legal presence (BMV — Non-U.S. Citizens):

• Students and exchange visitors: a valid passport, visa and I-94, plus the I-20 or DS-2019;
• Workers: a valid work permit (EAD, Form I-766), or a valid passport, visa and I-94 with an I-797 showing an acceptable employment case type;
• Refugees and asylees: an I-94 stamped Refugee or Asylum.

Each also needs proof of your Social Security number (SSN), if one was ever assigned (BMV — Non-U.S. Citizens); see getting an SSN.

For a Compliant card, bring two documents from different sources showing your Ohio street address; if your name changed, bring an original or certified marriage, divorce or court record linking it to your passport or Department of Homeland Security (DHS) documents (BMV — Acceptable Documents). The full lists come in English, Spanish and Somali, with an online checklist for each card (BMV — Acceptable Documents).

Step 4 — Pass the knowledge test for your permit

New drivers start with a temporary instruction permit identification card, or TIPIC (BMV — First Issuance).

• The test: 40 multiple-choice questions on rules and signs, 75 percent to pass; study the Ohio Digest of Motor Vehicle Laws and the sample test (BMV — First Issuance).
• Languages: text and audio in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Haitian Creole, Japanese, Russian, Somali and Spanish, plus American Sign Language by video. For another language, book a proctored test with your own interpreter at a driver exam station; you must still read English road signs (BMV — First Issuance).
• Online or in person: online needs a webcam computer and passing Social Security and identity checks; with an active out-of-state license or a need for special help, you test in person, at a driver exam station or select deputy registrars (BMV — First Issuance).
• If you fail: wait 24 hours; in-person tries are unlimited, online ones capped at two in six months (BMV — First Issuance).

After the test and a vision screening, buy the TIPIC at a deputy registrar within 60 days (BMV — First Issuance). A trap for drivers licensed abroad: with a TIPIC, the BMV says you may drive only with a licensed driver aged 21 or older, even with your foreign license, and suggests legal guidance to be sure (BMV — First Issuance).

Step 5 — Check the training rules before the road test

• Limited-term permit holders, since June 30, 2025: before booking the driving tests, you complete an Ohio-approved “Class D” course (24 hours of classroom or online instruction and 8 hours behind the wheel) and 50 hours of supervised practice, 10 at night, logged on Form BMV 5791 with the supervising adult’s signature notarized (OTSO).
• The exemption: with an unexpired license from Canada, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea or Taiwan, you’re exempt and may get a limited-term license by presenting that license when you apply (OTSO).
• Ages 18 to 20: the same Class D course and 50 hours apply (BMV — First Issuance).
• 21 or older, not limited-term: no course is listed before the first road test, but failing it means an abbreviated adult driver training course before the second try (BMV — First Issuance).
• Teens under 18: a permit from age 15 and a half, driver education, 50 hours and six months on the TIPIC, with a parent or guardian co-signing; the probationary license then limits late-night driving and passengers (BMV — First Issuance).

Find approved schools with the state’s driving school search (OTSO).

Step 6 — Take the two-part road test

Book it in BMV Online Services, not by email; bring your TIPIC, a vehicle in good condition (inspected first) and Form BMV 5791 if you’re under 21 or on a limited-term permit (BMV — First Issuance).

The driving part checks stops, turns, signals, lanes and following distance; in the maneuverability part you drive forward, then back, through a 9-by-20-foot box of markers, and knocking one down is an immediate fail (BMV — First Issuance). Under 21, you wait two days to retest (BMV — First Issuance).

Step 7 — Leave with interim papers, then watch your mail

Within 60 days of passing, buy your license at a deputy registrar and surrender the TIPIC (BMV — First Issuance).

• SAVE check: Ohio and federal law require the BMV to verify immigration status through SAVE, a USCIS system, before issuing or renewing a permit or card; if USCIS verifies you, the card is mailed; if not, you get a denial letter (BMV — Non-U.S. Citizens). Follow a pending check on SAVE CaseCheck; with an I-94 asylum document, the wait can reach 15 days (BMV — Non-U.S. Citizens).
• Interim documentation: carry it until the card arrives; it lets you drive if you applied for a license or permit, but it is not identification (BMV — Real ID).
• The card: it comes in a plain white envelope; if it hasn’t arrived after 28 days, contact the BMV (BMV — Real ID).

Step 8 — Your car: title office, registrar, insurance

1. Title: at a county Clerk of Courts title office, bring your out-of-state title, ID and a vehicle identification number (VIN) inspection, done at deputy registrars and participating title offices and Ohio dealers (BMV — Title).
2. Register: at a deputy registrar, show the Ohio title, your Ohio license or ID (or proof of SSN), and an E-Check certificate if your county requires one (BMV — New Residents). The E-Check emissions test is active in Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage and Summit counties; in September 2026 the governor directed Ohio EPA to begin ending it, but it continues until U.S. EPA approves (Governor of Ohio).
3. Insure: insurance is required to drive any motor vehicle, with minimums of $25,000 for injury or death of one person, $50,000 for two or more, and $25,000 for property damage; you show proof at traffic stops, crash scenes and inspections (BMV — Insurance).

Buying a car or shipping one from abroad: buying and insuring a car and customs.