Before you start

California residency
Proof of identity and lawful presence, or AB 60 alternative documents
A Social Security number, or a declaration that you have none
One California residency document; two for a REAL ID
A registered, insured vehicle and a licensed accompanying driver for the drive test

Step-by-step

1
Book the appointment before you land
Los Angeles-area DMV offices are the busiest in California and routinely book weeks out, against a ten-day legal deadline. Book early and consider an inland office — the DMV lets you book anywhere in the state.
OnlineWho: YouBefore arrival
2
Pass the knowledge test
Taken at a DMV office, on the California Driver Handbook. California specifics that catch foreign drivers: four-way stops, permitted right turn on red after stopping, and legal motorcycle lane splitting — which in LA traffic you will encounter constantly.
In personWho: You
3
Get an instruction permit
Because there is no exchange route you are treated as a new driver and must hold a permit before the drive test. This is the step experienced foreign drivers do not expect and it cannot be waived.
In personWho: You
4
Take the behind-the-wheel drive test
You supply the vehicle — currently registered and insured — and a licensed accompanying driver. The DMV provides neither. Driving schools rent both together, which for a new arrival without a car is usually the only route.
In personWho: You
5
Buy insurance before you buy the car
California requires liability cover, and Los Angeles premiums are among the highest in the state — driven by density, theft and litigation rates. With no US driving record or credit file, quotes can be startling. Get quotes on a specific model before committing to it.
OnlineWho: You
6
Learn street sweeping and permit parking
Most residential LA streets have posted sweeping hours with aggressive ticketing, and many neighbourhoods are permit-only. Your lease may or may not come with a permit. This is the single most common recurring cost newcomers fail to budget for.
In personWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Foreign driver licence
Passport, visa and I-94 as identity and lawful-presence documents
Social Security number, or a declaration of ineligibility
One California residency document, or two for a REAL ID
A registered and insured vehicle for the drive test

Things most newcomers don’t know

California waives testing for no country whatsoever.

Texas waives both exams for licences from France, Germany, South Korea, the UAE and Taiwan; Florida asks only for a vision and hearing test. California waives nothing for anyone. A thirty-year driver from Munich sits the same tests as a new seventeen-year-old, and in Los Angeles the drive test is on genuinely difficult roads.

Source: California DMV — requirements for a California driver licence

Insurance, not the licence, is the real cost of driving here.

Los Angeles premiums sit among the highest in a state that is itself expensive, and a newcomer with no US driving record and no credit file is quoted at the top of the range. Budget for it as a monthly cost comparable to a phone and utilities combined, and shop several insurers rather than accepting the first quote.

Source: California Department of Insurance

Street sweeping tickets are a tax on not reading signs.

Most residential streets in the City of LA have weekly sweeping windows, signposted and enforced by camera and patrol. Tickets run into three figures and repeat weekly for anyone who does not learn the pattern. Photograph the sign on your street the day you move in.

Source: City of Los Angeles — parking enforcement

The rail network has grown enough to change some people's maths.

Metro's E, K and A lines now reach Santa Monica, LAX and Long Beach, and the D Line is extending west. If both your home and your work sit near a station, going car-free in LA is possible for the first time in decades — still unusual, but no longer eccentric.

Source: LA Metro

Common mistakes to avoid

Assuming a foreign licence can be exchanged — California has no such arrangement with any country.
Arriving with no DMV appointment inside the ten-day deadline.
Turning up to the drive test without a registered, insured vehicle and a licensed accompanying driver.
Buying a car before getting insurance quotes for that specific model.
Ignoring street sweeping signs and collecting a ticket every week.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.

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