Documentation needed for Colorado Drivers License (military, home, transfer)

[janetjanetbobanet]

Thought I would warn those of you that don't already know this. If you are female and married and/or divorced and remarried, etc. - be prepared to bring complete documentation when you get your Colorado drivers license. Not only do you have to have a certified copy of your birth certificate (both genders), but you must have a certified copy of your marriage license or licenses and certified copy of your divorce decree, too, if applicable, if you are female. All these documents have to have a file number or case number or license number on them. This is apparently due to antiterrorism laws. You have to be able to prove any name changes, and the file numbers from the documents will be entered into the computer when you go to get your license. I hadn't thoroughly read what it said on the internet about the process, so when I got to the counter I handed the lady my birth certificate and promptly got sent home to get documents proving I was me since my name had changed since birth. It didn't matter that my photo ID out of state drivers license had the same birthdate as my birth certificate, and it didn't matter that I had a social security card with my current name on it. Since she didn't tell me that I had to have state certified copies, when I went back, I was rejected again because I only brought the certificate from the church where I was married. So I returned home to dig through stuff to find what is needed so I can go back there a third time. I was fortunate that my mother was into genealogy and had left me all of her stuff, and she had ordered a state certified copy of the marriage license. I never had one myself because in those days the minister kept the license to turn in to the state and we didn't get anything but what the church gave us. Just wanted to spare others this trouble.

[COflower]

Here's a really good PDF to outline CO requirements:

http://www.revenue.state.co.us/mv_di...quirements.pdf

Provided by the folks at the CO Department of Revenue.

[RockyMtMom]

Thanks for this heads-up. I had a CO driver's license years ago, but it was in my maiden name. I'll be sure to bring a copy of everything just in case I am not still in the system.

[Katiana]

We had some strange marriage ceremony done at the DMV so I could get a license in my married name, as my former lice. was in a different name. We were legally married some months earlier. I don't know if they do that any more.

[janetjanetbobanet]

Originally Posted by pittnurse70

We had some strange marriage ceremony done at the DMV so I could get a license in my married name, as my former lice. was in a different name. We were legally married some months earlier. I don't know if they do that any more.

I don't know if they do, either, but nothing would surprise me at this point. I thought getting my nursing license here was pretty complicated, but it was nothing compared to the drivers license thing. Car tags were easy, at least, and no more expensive than in Kansas, as far as I could tell.

[blue578]

Your post was very informative. Is this a State law? I live in AZ and it is very easy to get a drivers license. It doenst sound like I would be able to even get a DL in CO because my marriage was in CA, and the net said to get a certified copy of a marriage license would take 2-3 years due to bugetary constraints! Maybe you can go to a different office in a smaller town in CO????

[Bob from down south]

If you have a passport, a military ID, or a drivers license issued by a "Proof of Lawful Presence" state (other states that will not issue a DL to an illegal alien) with your married name, there's no need for the marriage certificate.

Bob from down south

[Bideshi]

This is off-thread a bit, but do you have to retest when you come in with a valid out-of-state license or is it just transfered over to a Colorado drivers license?

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by Bideshi

This is off-thread a bit, but do you have to retest when you come in with a valid out-of-state license or is it just transfered over to a Colorado drivers license?

We came here in 2005 and did NOT have to take a test, they just issued us a valid DL as we had a valid one from VA.

[janetjanetbobanet]

Originally Posted by Bideshi

This is off-thread a bit, but do you have to retest when you come in with a valid out-of-state license or is it just transfered over to a Colorado drivers license?

No test, once you get through all the other stuff.