Steps to getting your first driver license: Proof of identity

ID Requirements for any age:

• Show us 1 of the options from the list below:
  • Option 1:
    • One Stand-Alone document
  • Option 2:
    • Two A-List documents
  • Option 3:
    • One A-List document
    • and
    • Two B-List documents
  • Option 4: 
    • Four B-List documents
      • One of the four B-List documents must establish your name and date of birth

If you're unable to meet the general ID requirements, you may show us all of the following instead:

• Your parent/guardian must come with you and provide their attestation of your identity.
  • Before attestation, your parent/guardian must show:
    • Proof of their identity by providing 1 item from the Stand-Alone document list
    • Proof that they're your parent/guardian, such as your certified birth certificate, adoptions papers, or a school transcript with their name on it
    • If your last name is different than your parent/guardian's, we'll require more documents such as their marriage certificate or divorce decree
• One item from the A-List, or one item from the B-List that establishes your name and date of birth such as your certified birth certificate or adoption papers

Prove your identity by coming to a driver licensing office with your guardian and showing us all of the following:

• Proof of your guardian's identity by providing one document from the Stand-Alone list
• A court decree assigning guardianship
• One item from the A-List, or one item from the B-List Document that establishes your name and date of birth, such as your certified birth certificate or adoption papers

Show us 1 of the options from the list below:

• Your Job Corps ID card, and
• One item from the B-List that establishes your name and date of birth such as your certified birth certificate or adoption papers.

• Refugee Verification Packet (contact your resettlement agency for more information)
• U.S. armed services ID card, with photo — Valid
• U.S. B1/B2 Visa Border Crossing Card (Form DSP-150) — Valid
• U.S. Certificate of Citizenship or Naturalization with your photo, signature, and readily identifiable photo
• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service ID — Valid
  • Acceptable forms are:
    • I-327 U.S. Permit to Re-Enter Travel Document
    • I-551 Permanent Resident Card
    • I-571 U.S. Refugee Travel Document
    • I-766 Employment Authorization
• U.S. passport — Valid (an emergency passport isn't acceptable)
• U.S. passport card — Valid
• U.S. state or territory issued Driver License, ID card, or photo Instruction Permit — Valid or expired not more than 1 year
• Verification ID letter from the Department of Social and Health Services Children's Administration for foster youth

• El Salvador Identification card (Documento Unico de Identidad) — Valid
• Foreign passport — Valid, with:
  • Valid U.S. Customs and Border Protection (USCBP) entry form I-94/I94W, or
  • Valid Temporary I-551 ADIT stamp, or
  • Valid US Visa that has the legend "Upon endorsement serves as Temporary I-551 evidencing permanent residence for 1 year" and a valid DHS admission stamp, or
  • I-551 annotation that is expired on the visa, but less than one year since date of admission on the DHS admission stamp
• Guatemala Consulate ID card (Identificación Consular) — Valid
• Guatemala Identification card (Documento Personal de Identificación) — Valid
• Honduras Consulate ID card (Matricula Consular – Consular ID) — Valid
• Honduras Identification card (Tarjeta de Identidad) — Valid
• Japan Driver License — Valid
• Mexico Consular ID card (Matricula Consular) — Valid
• Mexico Federal Electoral card (Credencial Para Votar) — Valid
• Peru National Identification card (Documento Nacional de Identidad) — Valid
• Tribal enrollment ID card — Valid, must be a federally recognized Indian tribe and must have your signature and photo
• U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs ID card, with signature and photo
• U.S. Certificate of Citizenship or Naturalization with photo, signature, and your photo is not readily identifiable (e.g. a baby photo and now you're an adult)
• U.S. passport, expired not more than 1 year (an emergency passport isn't acceptable)
• U.S. passport card, expired not more than 1 year
• U.S. state or territory issued Driver License, ID card, or photo Instruction Permit, expired 1 to 6 years
• U.S. Visa — Valid (typically attached to a foreign passport page)
• Verification ID letter from an agency that you're being supervised by and that we have an agreement with (contact your supervising agency and have them send us the verification ID letter). We currently have agreements with:
  • Washington State Department of Corrections (DOC)
  • U.S. Federal correction authorities (FDOC)
  • Department of Social and Health Services Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration (DSHS JRA)
• Washington Department of Corrections (DOC) offender ID badge

Documents that establish your name and date of birth

• Adoption papers
• Birth certificate, U.S.**, or foreign* — Certified
• Birth registration card, your card must include your name, date of birth, place of birth, file date, and issue date — Certified
• Concealed weapons permit issued by a Washington county — Valid
• Consular Report of Birth Abroad
• Foreign Driver License or ID card, valid or expired not more than 6 years*
• Foreign Passport, expired not more than 6 years
• NEXUS, SENTRI, or FAST border crossing card — Valid
• U.S. Merchant Mariner's card, valid or expired not more than 6 years
• U.S. Military DD Form 214
• U.S. passport, expired more than 1 year (an emergency passport isn't acceptable)
• U.S. passport card, expired more than 1 year
• U.S. state or territory issued Driver License, ID Card, or photo Instruction Permit, expired more than 6 years
• Veteran Administration Identification, with date of birth
• Ward of the Court decree/Order of Dependency

Documents that show name and date of birth or signature or photo

• Clearance letter or driving record from another state's DMV, issued in the last 30 days
• Divorce decree, certified by the issuing government authority*
• Government employee ID card (state of federal), with signature and photo
• Marriage license/certificate, certified by the issuing government authority*
• Medicare card (not a DSHS medical card)
• Police employee ID card issued by Washington city or county
• Professional license (nurse, physician, engineer, etc.)
• School record from Mexico with seal and picture of individual at age of issue
• School transcript or record, or Forms I-20 or DS-2019 for foreign exchange students
• School yearbook or copy certified by the school with recognizable photo
• Selective Service card
• Social Security card
• Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC)
• Veteran Administration Identification, with photo

*Foreign documents

If our staff can't translate your document we may need an official translation. Acceptable translated documents must have:

• The name and contact information of the translator.
• A statement that the document is true and correct.
• A statement that they are a certified translator who is competent to translate a foreign language to English.

Examples of a certified translator include:

• DSHS certified translators.
• Washington State Court certified translators.
• Federal Court Translators.
• Foreign government entities.
• Consulate or embassy, etc.

You must get any translations done in the U.S. notarized. Translations from outside the U.S. must have a similar certification of authenticity.