UCAR International Visitor & Scholar Services

Identification And Driver's Licenses

Please note that the Colorado Department of Motor Vehicles is often requesting that foreign nationals also provide a current employment verification letter with work location noted

The following information was prepared by the Colorado Department of Motor Vehicles, and was posted April 7, 2004. The information is for guidance only. UCAR does not make any guarantee as to its accuracy. Individuals are encouraged to work directly with the Colorado Department of Motor Vehicles to determine eligibility for driver's licenses and other state-issued identification cards. Please visit the Motor Vehicle Business Group here: http://www.mv.state.co.us/.

Colorado Revised Statutes 42-2-107 and 42-2-302 require customers for a state-issued permit, driver license or identification card to submit proof of age, name and lawful presence as the Department may require. Customers presenting foreign documents, state-issued driver licenses or ID cards or Colorado ID cards issued 06/01/97 through 07/01/98 must also provide proof of lawful presence before getting an instruction permit, license or ID card. The Department may require additional documentation and/or further verification of documents presented, as it deems necessary, to establish a person's identity or age. The following lists show acceptable documents for proof of age/lawful presence and name and may be modified as deemed necessary by the Department.

Documents presented must be the original document, an amended original document or a true copy certified by the issuing agency. Notary seals, notary stamps, photocopies, miniatures or “wallet-sized” copies are NOT acceptable. First-time applicants must present two different documents. One document must be from the PROOF OF AGE/LAWFUL PRESENCE list. The second document may be from either the PROOF OF AGE/LAWFUL PRESENCE or PROOF OF NAME list. For identification purposes, two of the three names must match on the documents presented unless the customer is presenting documentation for a full name change. Colorado renewal or duplicate applicants must present one document from either list and may use their Colorado wallet-sized birth certificate for a renewal or duplicate, only.

To preserve the integrity of any document issued by the Driver License Section, fraudulent documents and/or Social Security cards, or documents used in fraudulent applications, will be confiscated and forwarded to the Investigations Section. This provision shall not apply to documents purportedly issued by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) unless the documents in question are confirmed as fraudulent by a USCIS representative. Otherwise, USCIS documents that appear to be fraudulent, altered or falsified will be returned to the customer and the customer will be referred to the USCIS, for verification of authenticity of the documents presented, or they will be asked to provide other identification as listed on the proof of age/lawful presence list. The public phone number for USCIS is 1-800-375-5283.

A. Proof of age/lawful presence:

1. US state-issued photo driver license or photo identification card expired one year or less. Not acceptable as proof of lawful presence.
2. Any Colorado driver license, DR2576 (EC 7-Day Notice), DR2581 (Insurance 7-Day Notice), or Colorado ID card that matches a photograph on file with driver license. Documents expired over one year require a second form of ID. (Note: Customers presenting Colorado ID cards issued 06/01/97 through 07/01/98 must provide proof of lawful presence if none was provided at issuance.).
3. Certified birth certificate (federal, state, county, certain city, Dept. Of Justice, Dept. of State and Bureau of Indian Affairs). City-issued birth certificates are acceptable from Connecticut, Washington DC and New York City/boroughs of Manhattan, Kings, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island. A list of Vital Statistics Offices is available in the US Identification Manual. Birth notices (the form submitted to Vital Stats for a child born at home) or hospital birth certificates are not acceptable.
4. US passport expired less than 10 years
5. Valid foreign passport with I-94 or valid “Processed for I-551” stamp; NO B/1, B/2, W/T or W/B, C/P or N/C status. Refer to Section D for detailed requirements.
6. I-94 with refugee/asylee status. (Asylees will normally have a passport)
7. Valid I-551 Resident Alien/Permanent Resident card. NO Border Crosser or USA B1/B2 VISA/BCC cards
8. Valid I-688 (photo Temporary Resident) and I-688A, I-688B and I-766 (photo Employment Authorization card)
9. Valid US Military ID (active duty, dependent, retired, reserve and National Guard)
10. US or Canadian tribal identification card issued by a recognized tribe
11. US federal, state, county certified court order of adoption (must show date of birth)
12. Certificate of Naturalization with intact photo

B. Proof of Name – If the name is different from the document presented for proof of age/lawful presence or the customer is changing the name on an established record, any of the following documents are acceptable IN ADDITION TO the document presented for proof of age/lawful presence. Photocopies are not acceptable.

1. Certified marriage certificate, US, city, county, state or foreign-issued (foreign language documents require translation). NO church documents.
2. Certified divorce decree, US or foreign, with a case number and official signature (foreign language documents require translation)
3. Certified court order of name change, US or foreign, with case number and court official signature (foreign language documents require translation)
4. Valid US Military ID (active duty, dependent, retired, reserve and National Guard)
5. US or Canadian tribal identification card issued by a recognized tribe
6. US state-issued photo driver license or photo identification card expired one year or less.

C. Proof of Social Security Number – If the customer is applying for a Commercial Driver License or Instruction Permit, upon initial application, they must provide proof of their Social Security Number to be issued the document. Items accepted as proof are:

1. Social Security Card
2. Military ID card
3. DD214 (without the disclaimer)
4. Military Dependent ID card (DD1173) Use “Bearer’s” number, not “Sponsor’s” number
5. Previous Commercial Driver License showing SSN

D. Immigration (USCIS) documents and requirements – Customers presenting a foreign passport and I-94 will need to present the following documents, based on their current status, in addition to their passport/I-94, unless otherwise indicated. The documents presented must indicate an end-of-stay (EOS) date unless otherwise noted in this section. Note: Most statuses listed here can be extended if the status holder files a request in a timely manner (before their EOS date). They will receive a Notice of Action form (usually an I-797) indicating their petition has been received. At that point they are entitled to a 240-day extension from the end of their initial EOS date. The I-797 is also used to show an application for a change in status (usually for residency) is being processed. Use the number of days indicated on the I-797 to extend the expiration of the document issued.

Documents required:

F1 – Foreign student

Foreign students, with an F-1 status, are allowed an automatic 60-day extension to the end-of-program date on the I-20AB. When processing the document, add an additional 60-days to the expiration date of the document. Spouses and dependents are not eligible for this extension.

• Valid passport and I-94. The I-94 will show F1 status and D/S (Duration of Stay).
• Page 3 of the original Form I-20AB with USCIS (INS) red stamp with expected completion date. I-20AB must indicate Colorado school unless the student is a transfer.
• Transfer student – passport and I-94, page 3 of the original I-20 with USCIS stamp, page 3 and 4 of the transfer I-20AB with transfer and final check-in information and expected completion date. There won’t be an USCIS stamp on a transfer I-20AB. Transfer information will be completed at final check-in and will include the previous school, the date of transfer, and the date of arrival and may be handwritten. The transfer I-20AB is not acceptable without the final check-in information.
• Also acceptable for transfer students is an original letter from the university with all information that would appear on page 4 of the transfer I-20AB.
• SEVIS (Electronic Student & Exchange Visitor Information System) I-20ABs will have a barcode and student SEVIS number in the upper right-hand portion of the I-20AB, indicating that the student has transferred and has registered at the school. There may not be any handwritten transfer information on a SEVIS I-20AB, however, we will still need to see the expected completion date. Originals will have the USCIS stamp, transfers will not.

F2 – Dependent of F1

• Valid passport and I-94 with F2 status.
• Must show connection to the F1 status holder through an I-20AB for dependents.

H Status – Temporary workers/ nurses/trainees

• Valid passport, visa and I-94. The I-94 can show H1B, H1C, H2A, H2B or H3 (H1C and H3 are not extendible).
• Visa must list sponsoring entity. Sponsoring entity may or may not be a Colorado agency or company. H2A will show an I-797 with stay dates.
• If the sponsoring entity on the Visa is not in Colorado, the customer must present an original letter from the sponsoring entity indicating work assignment in Colorado AND
• An original letter of employment verification by the Colorado agency/company indicated by the sponsoring entity.
• H1B portability provisions allow an H1B status holder to start work for a different sponsoring entity than the one listed in the visa as soon as the new sponsoring entity files a petition on the status-holder’s behalf. If the customer indicates that this is their situation, we would need to see proof that the petition has been filed by the new sponsoring entity.

H4 – Dependent of any H status

• Valid passport and I-94 with H4 status.
• Must show connection to the H status holder, either through the passport or birth certificate (foreign language birth certificates require translation).

J1 – Exchange visitor (may be student, trainee, au pair, etc.)

• Valid passport and I-94. The I-94 will show J1 status and D/S (Duration of Stay).
• Form DS-2019 (new form number) indicating stay dates and a Colorado employer/school as the sponsoring entity. The old form number, IAP-66, is obsolete and will not be accepted. The holder should have replaced it with a DS-2019, regardless of the end-of-stay date.
• Sponsoring entity other than a Colorado employer/school; customer must present an original letter from initial sponsoring entity listing the Colorado employer/school as the appropriate designee and a letter from the designated Colorado employer/school stating that the customer is employed/enrolled with the Colorado employer/school.
• An IAP-66 or DS-2019 with an end date written as “One month beyond D/S” will not be accepted. The customer will need a new DS-2019.
• Stay dates can be extended with a new DS-2019.

J2 – Dependent of J1

• Valid passport and I-94 with J2 status.
• Must show connection to the J1 status holder, either through the passport or DS-2019.

TN - NAFTA professional

• Canadians will have an I-94 but may not have a passport with the I-94. They are required to show a photo ID, usually their driver license. Others will have a passport and I-94. Employment is restricted to the sponsoring entity, so we must see a Colorado connection.

TD– Dependent of TN status holder

• Valid passport (unless Canadian) and I-94 with TDstatus.
• Must show connection to the TN status holder, either through the passport or birth certificate (foreign language birth certificates require translation).

E. Miscellaneous

• “Green” Cards or Permanent Resident cards with expiration dates – Normally, these cards are valid for 10 years and must be renewed, but that’s between the customer and the USCIS. The holder is a lawful permanent resident. If the card is expired, the holder needs to show documentation from USCIS, such as a “Processed for I-551” stamp in their passport, indicating the renewal/replacement card is being processed. (See next bullet.
• Expired passports with valid USCIS I-551 stamps – It is also USCIS procedure to stamp expired passports with the “Processed for I-551”, also known as the ADIT stamp, because the current waiting period for a new/replacement permanent resident card is at least 16 months. This is the only valid stamp that will appear in an expired passport. These customers will have an “A” number. Once the customer receives their permanent resident card they can return with the card and renew their document for the full expiration.
• Canadians – If they are just visiting, their passport will not have a USCIS stamp in it. They cannot receive a document because they are visitors. If the passport holder is going to be here for an extended length of time and might be working, then their passport will have a USCIS stamp.

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