Reviewed and updated October 12, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. Every fact on this page was read from the California DMV's own pages that day, and the DMV page each fact came from is linked where it appears.
How the California DMV issues licenses and ID cards to people whose legal presence in the United States has an end date: the document the DMV calls BD/LP, the 30-day and 60-day validity rules, the verification with USCIS, when a card is limited-term rather than full-term, and extensions. The standard application is on the driver's license guide; the license for people who cannot prove legal presence on the AB 60 guide.
In this guide: What legal presence means at the DMV, The application and its two deadlines, How the document is verified, Limited-term or full-term, Extending a limited-term card, The agencies the DMV names, Questions about limited-term licenses and ID cards
What legal presence means at the DMV
To get a California license or ID card you must show the DMV a document proving your name, your birth date and that you are allowed to be in the U.S.; the DMV calls it a BD/LP document. Its limited term page gives the common examples: for people born in the U.S., a birth certificate or passport; for immigrants, a Permanent Resident Card or citizenship papers; for non-immigrants, temporary resident cards or other official travel papers. An original must be brought the first time you apply; the full lists are the interactive REAL ID Checklist and the Federal Non-Compliant DL/ID documents list. Certain documents issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) state how long the bearer may legally be present, and that date is what makes a card limited-term.
The application and its two deadlines
The application needs the BD/LP document and your Social Security number if you are authorized to work; the name and birth date must match on both. Two deadlines apply: the BD/LP document must be valid for at least 30 days to start an application, and your legal presence must be valid for at least 60 days from the application date for the DMV to issue the photo card. The DMV mails the card once you pass all tests and USCIS verifies your status.
How the document is verified
When the application starts, the DMV verifies the BD/LP document electronically with USCIS. If that is not possible, the DMV photocopies the document and sends it to USCIS for secondary verification, and issues a temporary license after you pass the required tests. If the verification takes longer than 75 days, the DMV sends a letter with the details needed to complete the verification and the application.
Limited-term or full-term
For a first-time applicant, the DMV draws the line at the BD/LP document's expiration: a document that expires less than five years from the application date for a license, or less than six years for an ID card, produces a limited-term card; a document that expires more than five years out (six for an ID card) produces a full-term card. On the DMV's driver's license page, a card issued on temporary status expires with the legal presence document and is reissued on a documented extension.
Extending a limited-term card
When a limited-term license or ID card expires and you need an extension, the DMV requires a BD/LP document that expires 60 or more days from the day you apply.
The agencies the DMV names
The Social Security Administration issues Social Security numbers and cards. The Department of Homeland Security is described by the DMV as coordinating multiple federal, state and local agencies and programs into one agency focused on protecting the American people. USCIS issues immigration and citizenship documents; the DMV gives its National Customer Service Center number as 1-800-375-5283.
Questions about limited-term licenses and ID cards
What is a BD/LP document?
The DMV's name for a document that proves your name, birth date and that you are allowed to be in the United States: a U.S. birth certificate or passport, a Permanent Resident Card or citizenship papers, or temporary resident cards and other official travel papers.
How long must my document be valid?
At least 30 days from the application to start it, and at least 60 days from the application date to receive the photo card.
What makes a card limited-term?
A BD/LP document that expires less than five years from the application date for a license, or less than six years for an ID card. A document valid longer than that gets a full-term card.
What if the DMV cannot verify my document electronically?
It photocopies the document and sends it to USCIS for secondary verification, issuing a temporary license once you pass the tests. If that takes more than 75 days, the DMV mails a letter explaining how to finish the application.
How do I extend a limited-term card?
Provide a BD/LP document that expires 60 or more days from the day you apply for the extension.
Written by SearchSystems.net from the California DMV's limited term for legal presence page and driver's license page, read on October 12, 2026.