Driver Licenses for Those in Massachusetts Without Legal Immigration Status

The Massachusetts State Senate passed a bill that may allow people without legal immigration status to get Massachusetts driver’s licenses beginning next year.

The Massachusetts House passed a similar bill two months ago by a veto-proof margin.

The out-going Governor of Massachusetts, Charlie Baker has repeatedly said he doesn’t support allowing people without legal immigration status to obtain driver licenses.

If the Legislature over-rides Governor Baker’s expected veto, people without legal immigration status could obtain a driver’s license by providing two documents that prove their identity. The documentation could be a foreign passport and a birth certificate with a certified English translation or a foreign passport and a marriage certificate.

If it becomes law, the new identification requirements would take effect on July 1, 2023.

The bill’s passage would mean Massachusetts would join 16 other states and the District of Colombia where undocumented individuals are allowed to receive driver licenses.

While it has been considered before, the Massachusetts legislation now has the support of a number of interested parties including a majority of the state’s Sheriffs and district attorneys and the Massachusetts Major Cities Chiefs of Police Association.

While the new law will not be implemented for more than a year, Foley Law Offices is compiling a list of individuals who plan to apply for a driver’s license as soon as they are legally able to do so.

Attorney John Foley said “these are people who are out of immigration status but they drive every day because they work or they have kids. They are your neighbors. Allowing them to get driver licenses will make our roads safer and it will allow them to breath a bit easier as they go about their day.”

For more information on what documents you need to provide to obtain a Massachusetts driver’s license and to get on the filing waiting list, call Foley Law Offices at (617) 397-4787.