Driver's License

All non-U.S. citizens may drive in the U.S. on their valid foreign license and International Permit for up to one year from the date of admission into the U.S. provided their home country is part of the Foreign License Reciprocity. Drivers from non-Foreign License Reciprocity Countries must obtain a Kentucky license within 30 days of establishing residency in Kentucky.

All non-U.S. citizens applying for a first time Kentucky permit/license are required to take the written, vision, and road tests. This includes transfer drivers holding a valid license from another state or country. Drivers holding a valid out of state license, or a valid license from a foreign reciprocity country, will not be required to hold a permit. Non-U.S. citizens already licensed in Kentucky are not required to retest, but they must be approved by Division of Driver Licensing. Permanent Residents with a valid license from a foreign reciprocity country will only be required to take the written/vision exam. Otherwise, all testing is required. For more information, please visit https://drive.ky.gov/driver-licensing/Pages/Non-US-Citizens.aspx

As of today, available testing languages for written permit test are as follows:

Albanian, Arabic, Bosnian, Cambodian, Chinese, Croatian, English, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Laotian, Persian, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Thai, Turkish, and Vietnamese.