Identification Documents
Drivers License
Please note that international students and scholars are not required to obtain either a Minnesota State I.D. or a Minnesota Driver’s License.
International Driving Permit:
An International Driving Permit is not a driver license. The permit only verifies that you hold a valid driver license in your home country. Your foreign driver license, not the International Driving Permit, allows you to drive legally in Minnesota. Contact the authorities in your home country to get an International Driving Permit. If you are not a resident of the US, you cannot apply for an International Driving Permit after you arrive in the US. You are not required to have an International Driving Permit to drive in Minnesota, but the permit has value. The permit verifies, in several languages, that you have a valid foreign driver license. A police officer who cannot read the language on your foreign driver license can read the permit. A final note: Different states have different rules. What applies in Minnesota may not apply in other states. If you have not obtained an International Driving Permit in your home country before coming to the U.S. you might be able to obtain one by contacting your home country embassy or consulate.
Home Country Driver License:
In Minnesota you can also drive by carrying your home country Driver License. If your Driver License is not in English, you also need to obtain and carry an official Minnesota Certified translation (which you can obtain from a licensed translator).
Minnesota Driver License:
According to the State of Minnesota law, a resident of another country can get a Minnesota driver license. To obtain a Minnesota driver's license, you must pass a road sign test, a vision test, and a driving test.
The first step is to prepare for the written test and road sign test by studying the Minnesota Driver's Manual.
To obtain additional information go to a driver's license exam substation. The closest to both Minneapolis and St. Paul campuses is in St. Paul at the Midway Shopping Center at the following address:
Metro testing station
Midway:
1472 University Ave. St. Paul
Monday through Friday:
8:00 am to 3:45 (for the written testing)
8:00 am to 4:30 for other transactions
Phone: (651) 642-0808
Other metro testing stations
(call for hours and appointment availability)
35WN & Co. Rd. I, Arden Hills, (651) 639-4057
2070 Cliff Rd., Eagan, (651) 388-1870
2455 Fernbrook Lane, Plymouth, (612) 341-3401
530 W. Main St., Anoka, (612) 422-3401
General Information phone number:
(651) 296-6911
MN Driver and Vehicle Services
For a copy of a Minnesota Driver's Manual write to
Driver and Vehicle Services
455 Minnesota St.
St. Paul, MN 55101
Minnesota Department of Public Safety website
Drivers License Renewal:
If you are an international student or scholar, you will have a Status Check date on your Drivers License. The date on that Status Check reflects the expiration date on your 1–20/DS–2019/I–797 document. Before that date, you must go to the Drivers License renewal office and present a copy of a new or extended visa status document. (H- 1B status holders can use an original USCIS extension receipt to apply for a temporary extension.) You will be asked to fill out a new application. If you do this before the Status Check date, you will not be charged a fee.
You are supposed to receive a letter from the Department of Public Safety, but if you don’t you are still responsible for going to the Drivers License Renewal Station before the date of your status check. If you do not do this, you will have to pay for a new Drivers License. In addition, if you are caught driving past the date of your status check (including during the grace period at the end of your program) you may be arrested or cited and fined.
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