DENVER–A state law passed in 2024 making it easier and faster for illegal immigrants to obtain a Colorado driver’s license goes into effect on March 31.
Foreign nationals living in the country illegally can already get a driver’s license or identification card under the “Colorado Road and Community Safety Act” after clearing certain hurdles, such as having resided in Colorado for at least two years and having filed a state income tax return.
Senate Bill 24-182, approved by majority Democrats in last year’s legislative session and signed into law by Gov. Jared Polis in June, knocks down many such requirements, significantly fast-tracking the process specifically for “an individual who is not lawfully present in the United States.”
The new law does the following:
- Repeals the requirement that the applicant have filed a Colorado resident income tax return;
- Repeals the requirement that the applicant demonstrate residency in the state for the immediately preceding 2 years;
- Repeals the requirement that the applicant provide a documented Social Security Number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number; and
- Allows an applicant to present a passport, consular identification card, or military identification document from the applicant’s country of origin that is unexpired or expired less than 10 years before the date of the applicant’s application for a driver’s license or identification document.
According to the bill’s fiscal note, the new law “increases state cash fund expenditures by about $123,000 in FY 2024-25 and $127,000 in FY 2025-26.”
