When you need it
When you need it
- You are applying for a first California driver’s licence or a learner’s permit.
- You are getting an ID card, or converting either to a REAL ID.
- You are renewing and the renewal requires an office visit - because you need a vision test, are upgrading to a REAL ID for the first time, or do not qualify for the online or mail route.
- You are replacing or updating a licence or ID card.
When you need a different form
When you need a different form
The commonest reason a form comes back is that it was the wrong one.
Use no form at all
You are renewing by mail or online and are eligible to do so.
An eligible online or mail renewal does not need a DL 44 - the renewal notice carries the transaction. DL 44 is for applications that reach a field office.
Use DL 937
You need the REAL ID document checklist rather than the application.
DL 44 is the application itself. What to bring is a separate question, and the answer lives on the REAL ID guide, not on this form.
What DL 44 asks for
What DL 44 asks for
Section by section, in plain language.
- Who you are
- Name, date of birth, address, and your Social Security number. The DMV asks you to have the SSN to hand before starting - it is not optional information you can skip and add later.
- What you are applying for
- Licence or ID card; original, renewal, replacement or update; and whether you want a REAL ID. The REAL ID choice is what triggers the document upload step.
- Legal and medical declarations
- The statutory questions every applicant answers. These are why the finished form has to be signed in front of a DMV employee rather than mailed in.
- Voter registration and organ donor
- Eligible applicants are offered voter registration, transmitted to the Secretary of State only after you complete the transaction at a field office - not when you submit online.
- Your signature
- Added at the office, not online. The DMV is explicit: you sign the form once you visit a field office and complete the process with a DMV employee.
Fees that apply
Fees that apply
From the fee schedule - never typed on this page.
- Driver's license (Class C, original) $46
- Driver's license renewal (Class C) $46
- ID card (original, renewal, or replacement) $40
Full table: California DMV fee schedule.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Can I download the DL 44 form as a PDF?
No. The DMV states that because each form carries a unique barcode, it cannot be downloaded and printed. Paper copies exist only in field offices, and the DMV says it is phasing the paper version out. A site offering a blank “DL 44 PDF” is not giving you the DMV’s form.
What is eDL 44?
It is the online version of the application. You complete it at dmv.ca.gov in about 9 minutes, and it is saved for up to a year - but it is not a full online transaction. The DMV processes it only when you visit a field office, where an employee retrieves it and you sign.
Do I need a DL 44 to renew my licence?
Only if the renewal requires an office visit. An eligible online or mail renewal does not need one. Drivers 70 and over are not automatically excluded from renewing online - the DMV says most of the 70+ process, including the eLearning course, can be started online, though a vision or knowledge test may still bring you in.
Is DL 44 the same form for an ID card?
Yes. It is the Driver’s License / ID Card Application - one form covering licences, ID cards, learner’s permits and REAL ID conversions. What differs is the fee and the documents.
Is there a DL 44S sample form?
Not as a public download. We checked the DMV’s form routes and catalogue and found no published DL 44S, so we do not link one. If you want to see the questions before you go, the online application walks through them and can be resumed later.
Can I sign the application at home?
No. The DMV says you sign the form once you visit a field office and complete the process with a DMV employee. That requirement is part of why there is no take-home PDF.
Related guides
Sources. California DMV - DL 44 · California DMV - forms catalog
Content last verified September 15, 2026.