Insuring a car and being licensed to drive it are separate questions. Carriers answer the first one in more ways than most people expect.

January 1, 2021. Oregon stopped requiring proof of legal presence for a standard driver license or ID card. Applicants give a Social Security number or a written statement that none was assigned (HB 2015, ORS 807.021). The standard license isn't REAL ID compliant (Oregon Department of Transportation, Driver Licenses for All bulletin, accessed September 22, 2026).

Owning a car and driving it are two different questions

An auto policy has two halves: the vehicle and whoever owns it, and the list of people who drive it. A company looks at both. But they're separate questions, and the answer to one doesn't settle the other.

You don't need a driver's license to own a car, and people insure cars they don't personally drive more often than you'd guess. One spouse holds a license and the other doesn't. Or somebody just moved here and is still waiting on a DMV appointment.

What the license changes is who can legally drive the car and what the company charges for the people on the policy. With no US driving record there's less history to price on. That narrows things down to the companies willing to write it, which is why these quotes usually run through the non-standard auto market rather than a standard one.

Registration is its own step with its own DMV rules, and the insurance and the title still have to line up. Nevada's DMV, for one, wants a Nevada Evidence of Insurance card where the registered owner's name, the VIN and the vehicle description all match, on every registration transaction (Nevada DMV, DAC and vehicle registration information sheet).

State licenses that don't require proof of lawful presence

Four of the states we write personal auto in will issue a driver's license to residents who can't show lawful presence: Oregon, California, Nevada and Colorado. Arizona won't. None of those four credentials is REAL ID compliant, which matters if you're trying to board a plane with one. It changes nothing about what an auto policy application asks you.

Oregon: the standard license

HB 2015 (2019) amended ORS 807.021 and struck the proof of legal presence requirement for a standard license, permit or ID card. As the statute reads now, the DMV asks for your Social Security number, or a written statement that you haven't been assigned one. Section 26 of the bill made that operative on January 1, 2021.

You still have to live here or be domiciled here (ORS 807.062), pass the tests and prove who you are. The Oregon DMV's identity list takes a foreign passport, as long as it's in English or comes with an English translation and hasn't been expired more than five years. ODOT's own announcement says the standard license isn't REAL ID compliant.

California: the AB 60 license

AB 60 added Cal. Veh. Code 12801.9, which tells the DMV to issue a license to someone who can't submit satisfactory proof that their presence is authorized under federal law. You still have to meet every other qualification and prove your identity and California residency. The DMV says the knowledge test comes in more than 40 languages, and that AB 60 applicants can't get a REAL ID card.

The DMV's AB 60 page also reminds new license holders that California law says you need insurance on your vehicle to drive it. Our California auto insurance page covers the state's current liability minimums and what they leave exposed.

Nevada: the Driver Authorization Card

Nevada's version is the Driver Authorization Card, issued under NRS 483.291. The DMV describes it as a card that lets eligible residents drive legally even when they can't meet the identity requirements for a standard license, and it's good for four years. Consular ID cards are on the document list. The DMV says the card lets you register and insure your vehicle in Nevada, though it won't work for federal purposes like boarding an aircraft.

Colorado: the standard license under CO-RCSA

Colorado's program started with SB 13-251, the Colorado Road and Community Safety Act, signed June 5, 2013. The DMV calls these credentials "standard" licenses and IDs now, because they aren't REAL ID compliant. In 2023 it announced CO-RCSA service at all 36 of its driver license offices.

The DMV's current page says the credentials are for Colorado residents who are undocumented or temporarily lawfully present, issued under C.R.S. 42-2-501 to 506. For identity, an undocumented applicant can use a passport, consular card or military ID from their home country, plus one proof of a current Colorado address. The card carries a black banner reading "Not Valid For Federal Identification, Voting or Public Benefit Purposes," and it's good for three years. You'll need an appointment.

Arizona: no equivalent

Arizona's MVD says every applicant has to show proof that their presence is authorized under federal law. There's no Arizona credential like the four above. Somebody living in Arizona without an Arizona license may still be able to insure a car they own, with a licensed driver listed on it, depending on the company.

Visiting versus living here: how long a foreign license works

A license from home works for a while. How long depends on the state, and on whether you're visiting or you've moved here for good. Here's what each DMV or statute says, and nothing beyond it.

Oregon's statute says "out-of-state license." If yours came from another country, ask Oregon DMV how that applies to you before you lean on it.

For the policy, the date you became a resident matters. You'll be asked about each driver's license status and where the car is kept, and those answers have to stay accurate as things change. Our guide to vehicle use and garaging address explains why the carrier cares. If you'll drive south of the border, a US policy usually isn't enough there, and our piece on Mexico auto insurance covers that.

How carriers treat foreign licenses, passports and the Matrícula Consular

This part is company practice, not law. We found no state statute anywhere that tells an insurer which ID it has to accept. Each one keeps its own list, and that list can change from state to state.

Kemper says it has options for people carrying only a non-standard ID, like a Matrícula Consular, a foreign or international license, or a passport, and that what's acceptable varies by state. National General's Oregon underwriting guide accepts any official government-issued ID as proof of a foreign driver license, "including foreign passports and Matrícula Consular ID cards."

Read that second one carefully. The company is taking the ID to confirm who you are and to write down what foreign license you hold. That doesn't turn the ID into permission to drive in any state, and it doesn't move the DMV rules in the table above one inch.

Other companies want a US license on the named insured, and some won't write a driver with no US record at all. What you're charged usually tracks how much of your driving history somebody can actually verify. That's why one quote tells you nothing. Running several at once is how you find the ones whose rules fit the documents you've got.

Listing an unlicensed owner and a licensed driver

Here's the common version. The car is titled to somebody with no license, and a spouse or an adult relative in the same house does most or all of the driving. Plenty of policies get built exactly that way, with the owner as the named insured and the licensed person priced as the main driver.

Whether it works depends on who's writing it. Some companies are fine with an unlicensed named insured as long as a licensed driver is on the policy, while others want the named insured or a spouse to hold a US or foreign license. Some will list the unlicensed owner as a non-driver or exclude them outright. Our guide to excluded and household drivers explains what exclusion means for a claim.

Listing everybody honestly matters more here than almost anywhere else. Companies ask about everyone of driving age in the house and anyone who drives the car regularly, licensed or not. Leave off somebody who drives it every week and the company may have grounds to deny a claim or cancel the policy, depending on the wording and the state. A quote missing a regular driver looks cheaper, but claims get paid on the drivers the company was told about.

If an excluded or unlicensed person drives anyway and wrecks the car, the policy may not answer at all. Whatever it doesn't pay lands on the owner and the driver personally. The learning center's overview of auto liability limits shows how quickly a serious claim can pass a minimum limit.

If you don't own a car but drive other people's cars with a valid license, that's a different product. See non-owner car insurance.

Social Security number, ITIN and the application

Most auto applications ask for a Social Security number. Some companies will take an ITIN instead, and some will quote without either one. That's their own practice rather than a state rule, and it changes.

The license itself is a separate question. In Oregon, the DMV takes a written statement that you haven't been assigned a Social Security number (ORS 807.021). A license issued that way is still a state driver's license when somebody asks what each driver holds.

Tell us which numbers you have before we quote. We'll send the application to companies that work with them, so nothing stalls at the SSN field.

What to compare between quotes

When the quotes come back, read past the price. These are the details that decide whether a quote holds up:

• Every driver in the household appears, with the right license type and issuing country or state.
• The named insured matches the name on the title and registration.
• Liability limits are the same across quotes, so you're comparing the same coverage.
• Collision and comprehensive are on there if the car's financed, because your lender will usually require them.
• The payment plan fits how you pay: pay in full or finance.

Our guide on how to compare auto quotes goes further. If you've had a gap in coverage, read auto insurance after a lapse too, because a gap usually matters as much as the license does.

What to send us

• For each person in the household of driving age: full name, date of birth, and the license or ID they hold, with the issuing state or country and the number.
• A photo or copy of each license, passport or Matrícula Consular you'd like the carrier to see.
• The vehicle's VIN, the name on the title, and the address where it's kept overnight.
• Your current or most recent insurance, including a policy from another country if you had one.
• The lienholder's name and address if the car is financed.
• Your Social Security number or ITIN, if you have one and want it used.

Immigration questions go to an attorney

We're an insurance agency. We can tell you what an insurance company accepts and what a state DMV publishes about licenses. We can't advise you on immigration status, visas, or what any document means for your case. Take those questions to an immigration attorney.

Where we usually start

For clients without a US license we shop several companies at once, including Kemper, National General and GEICO. Each one decides for itself who it'll write and which IDs it takes, and those rules differ by state. Running them together is the fastest way to find out who'll write your household the way it actually is.

Next step

Start a quote and tell us what licenses and IDs everybody in your household holds. If you've already got a policy and aren't sure the drivers are listed right, compare your coverage first. For the same information in Spanish, see our seguro de auto sin licencia de EE. UU. page.

Reviewed for insurance accuracy by Richard Sweet, owner of Vantage Point Risk and an independent insurance advisor. Last reviewed September 24, 2026. How we review this.