I'm a new resident in Connecticut: what do I do with my license?

Compare with the state you moved from

Choose the state you came from to see the main differences from Connecticut. Every value comes from that state's official manual (with the page number) or from its license guide. Where a manual does not state a rule, we say so instead of guessing.

Key rules in Connecticut

Each rule comes from the Connecticut driver manual or from the license guide, with its source.

Licensing and paperwork

• Tests when you transfer a license

  Transfer includes a vision test at a full-service DMV office; appointment made online.

  What the manual says

  • Transfer a license from another state

    The transfer is done at an in-person appointment made online. It includes a vision test at one of the DMV’s full-service offices. The out-of-state license must be current or not expired for more than two years. You are issued a temporary paper credential and the DMV keeps the out-of-state license. The permanent license is mailed. To transfer, bring:

    • The current out-of-state license (not expired for more than two years).
    • Acceptable forms of identification.
    • The completed application for a non-commercial driver’s license (Form R-229).
    • If the out-of-state license was lost, a certified out-of-state driving history record dated within 60 days.
    • Payment for the fees (see the DMV fees page).

  Source: [1] [2]

• Liability insurance

  Continuous insurance coverage is required on any registered vehicle.

  What the manual says

  • The manual states that Connecticut law requires continuous insurance coverage on any registered vehicle.

  Source: Connecticut Driver's Manual (Revised March 2023), page 13

• Change of address

  Update the DMV within 48 hours of any change of address.

  What the manual says

  • Changing your address

    All Connecticut residents with a vehicle registration, a Connecticut driver’s license or a Connecticut non-driver ID card must update the DMV within 48 hours of any change of address. Changing the address is free. The new address label goes on the back of the license or non-driver ID.

  Source: [3]

Road rules

• Teen driving hours

  Ages 16-17: no driving 11 p.m.-5 a.m., except work, school, religious activities, medical necessity, Safe Ride Program drivers.

  What the manual says

  • The hour restriction for these drivers runs from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m., with listed exceptions.
  • The curfew does not apply to a teen traveling for employment, school, religious activities, or medical necessity, or an assigned Safe Ride Program driver.

  Source: Connecticut Driver's Manual (Revised March 2023), page 8

• Passengers for teen drivers

  First 6 months: instructor, parent/guardian or one qualified person 20+; months 7-12 also immediate family; no more passengers than seatbelts.

  What the manual says

  • In the first six months the only allowed passengers are a licensed driving instructor, a parent or legal guardian, or one qualified person who is at least 20.
  • In the second six months the only additional passengers allowed are members of the driver's immediate family.
  • The manual bars these drivers from transporting more passengers than the number of seatbelts in the vehicle.

  Source: Connecticut Driver's Manual (Revised March 2023), page 8

• Alcohol limit under 21

  Zero tolerance under 21: .02% or more, on public roads and private property.

  What the manual says

  • The law penalizes any measurable amount of alcohol, defined as .02% or more.
  • The manual says zero tolerance applies on both public roads and private property.

  Source: Connecticut Driver's Manual (Revised March 2023), page 33

• Refusing a chemical test

  Refusing a test after a DUI arrest: license suspended at least 45 days, any age.

  What the manual says

  • Refusing a test means a suspension of at least 45 days, regardless of age.

  Source: Connecticut Driver's Manual (Revised March 2023), page 33

• Seat belts

  Illegal to drive or ride without a safety belt; drivers must ensure passengers aged 7-16 wear one.

  What the manual says

  • The manual says that in Connecticut it is illegal to drive or to be a passenger without wearing a safety belt.
  • The manual says ALL drivers are obligated to ensure that any passenger between 7 and 16 years old is wearing a safety belt.
  • If either the driver or the passengers fail to wear the seat belt, each could be cited.

  Source: Connecticut Driver's Manual (Revised March 2023), page 12, 13

• Child safety seats

  Restraint required under 16; under 2 or under 30 lb: rear-facing seat; 8+ and 60+ lb: booster or belt.

  What the manual says

  • The manual says state law requires children under 16 to be secured in proper child restraint and safety systems.
  • The table requires a rear-facing-only car seat or a rear-facing convertible seat with a 5-point harness for this group.
  • The table lists a booster seat or a seat belt for this group.

  Source: Connecticut Driver's Manual (Revised March 2023), page 12

• Phone use while driving

  18+: hands-free accessories only, no hand-held even when stopped in traffic; 16-17: no phone, even hands-free, except emergencies.

  What the manual says

  • Drivers are permitted only to use hands-free mobile telephone accessories.
  • State law prohibits hand-held use even when the vehicle is temporarily stopped because of traffic, road conditions or a traffic control sign or signal.
  • Drivers who are 16 or 17 may not use any type of cell phone or mobile electronic device, hands-free included.

  Source: Connecticut Driver's Manual (Revised March 2023), page 13

• School buses

  Flashing-red school bus: stop on either side or at an intersection ahead; not if oncoming across a median or barrier.

  What the manual says

  • You must stop for a stopped school bus with flashing red lights on either side of the road or at an intersection ahead.
  • A median or other physical barrier separating the roadway means oncoming drivers need not stop.
  • You must watch for children and wait until they have completely left the roadway and it is safe.

  Source: Connecticut Driver's Manual (Revised March 2023), page 37

• Move Over law

  Move Over Law: for a pulled-over vehicle, slow below posted limit and move over one lane when safe.

  What the manual says

  • The Move Over Law requires drivers to slow down, below the posted speed limit.
  • Drivers must move their vehicle over one lane whenever it is safe to do so.

  Source: Connecticut Driver's Manual (Revised March 2023), page 16

• Headlights

  Headlights required at night and when it is hard to see; required whenever wipers are on.

  What the manual says

  • The manual says you must use your headlights at night and at other times when it’s hard to see.
  • The manual says that if you turn on your wipers, you must turn on your headlights, and it adds “It’s the law.”

  Source: Connecticut Driver's Manual (Revised March 2023), page 24, 38

• Right turn on red

  Allowed after a full stop and checking for oncoming traffic, unless a sign prohibits the turn.

  What the manual says

  • A right turn at a red light is allowed after stopping unless a traffic sign prohibits it.
  • You may turn right on red after a full stop and checking for oncoming traffic and for a sign prohibiting the turn.

  Source: Connecticut Driver's Manual (Revised March 2023), page 15, 45

• Left lane and keeping right

  Under three lanes your way: right lane except to pass; yield right to vehicles wanting to pass.

  What the manual says

  • Connecticut law requires you to drive in the right lane, except when passing, when your direction of travel is less than three lanes.
  • The manual says not to block the passing lane, to stay out of the far left lane and to yield to the right for any vehicle that wants to pass.

  Source: Connecticut Driver's Manual (Revised March 2023), page 23, 26

Official steps for moving to Connecticut

• Who does not need a Connecticut license

  Some people do not need to get a Connecticut license, such as a full-time student who lives in Connecticut but keeps an out-of-state or out-of-country permanent residence, or someone in the U.S. on a visitor’s visa. Connecticut lets a student or visitor drive for up to one year with a valid foreign license. A license in a language other than English or Spanish must be accompanied by an international driver permit (IDP), and the transfer page asks for an IDP from your country of origin, so check before you drive. An IDP alone is not a valid license, and it can only be obtained in the country that issued the license.

  Source: [4] [1]

• Deadlines

  After you establish residency, transfer your license within the deadline the DMV states; its pages give different numbers of days, so check with the DMV. A new resident must transfer the out-of-state vehicle registration to Connecticut within 90 days.

  Source: [4] [1]

• Transfer a license from another state

  The transfer is done at an in-person appointment made online. It includes a vision test at one of the DMV’s full-service offices. The out-of-state license must be current or not expired for more than two years. You are issued a temporary paper credential and the DMV keeps the out-of-state license. The permanent license is mailed. To transfer, bring:

  • The current out-of-state license (not expired for more than two years).
  • Acceptable forms of identification.
  • The completed application for a non-commercial driver’s license (Form R-229).
  • If the out-of-state license was lost, a certified out-of-state driving history record dated within 60 days.
  • Payment for the fees (see the DMV fees page).

  Source: [1] [2]

• If your license has expired or you are under 16

  If an out-of-state license has been expired more than two years, you get a Connecticut learner’s permit and complete an eight-hour safe driving practices course at a licensed driving school before the skills test. License holders under age 16 cannot transfer their license.

  Source: [1]

• Drivers aged 16 and 17 with an out-of-state license

  Drivers aged 16 and 17 with an out-of-state license can be served only at a DMV hub office or the Enfield office. They must complete the eight-hour safe driving practices class in Connecticut, including the two-hour parent or legal guardian training. When they surrender the out-of-state license they provide the certificate of completion of that class, and they must pass a vision test and a road test.

  Source: [5] [6] [1]

• A permit from another state

  An out-of-state learner’s permit cannot be transferred to Connecticut. A non-resident aged at least 16 may drive in Connecticut with an out-of-state permit under the permit’s restrictions and Connecticut’s learner’s permit restrictions, under the instruction of a licensed driver with four years of license history.

  Source: [7] [6]

• A license from another country, a territory or Puerto Rico

  A license from Canada, Germany or France is transferred under the same requirements as an out-of-state license. A valid license from any other country cannot be transferred, and that person needs an adult learner’s permit first. Non-U.S. citizens who want a first-time Connecticut learner’s permit or license must apply in person at a DMV hub office. A license from certain U.S. territories, listed on the transfer page, needs a driver record history from the territory before the transfer. A Puerto Rico license is verified with the home territory before the transfer.

  Source: [4] [1]

• Drive-only and commercial licenses

  An out-of-state drive-only (or similar driving-privilege) license cannot be transferred to Connecticut. A holder of an out-of-state commercial driver’s license (CDL) must apply for a Connecticut CDL within 30 days of residency in Connecticut.

  Source: [1] [8]

Sources

1. Transfer your out-of-state license (portal.ct.gov) — Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles (portal.ct.gov/dmv)
2. Central Issuance helps protect you from identity theft (portal.ct.gov) — Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles (portal.ct.gov/dmv)
3. Make changes to a driver’s license or vehicle registration (portal.ct.gov) — Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles (portal.ct.gov/dmv)
4. Get a driver’s license (with its FAQs and non-U.S. citizen sections) (portal.ct.gov) — Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles (portal.ct.gov/dmv)
5. Connecticut Driver’s Manual, English, Revised March 2023 (Chapter 1: Obtaining a Connecticut Driver’s License, pp. 4-9, plus pp. 13, 30-35) (portal.ct.gov) — Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles (portal.ct.gov/dmv)
6. Teen driver’s license information (Teen Drivers Center) (portal.ct.gov) — Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles (portal.ct.gov/dmv)
7. Get a learner’s permit (portal.ct.gov) — Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles (portal.ct.gov/dmv)
8. Get a drive-only license (portal.ct.gov) — Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles (portal.ct.gov/dmv)