Tennessee Introduces New License Transfer Requirement

Beginning January 10, 2025, individuals moving to Tennessee who hold a driver license from California, Connecticut, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Nevada, Oklahoma, Vermont, or West Virginia will need to provide a Motor Vehicle Record (MVR) from their previous state when applying for a Tennessee driver license. Tennessee is part of the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators’ State-to-State (S2S) Verification Service, which facilitates electronic access to a complete Driver History Record for applicants from the 41 participating states. This service helps to prevent fraud and enhance road safety by ensuring that drivers with a history of dangerous behavior are identified. It also speeds up the processing time for new licenses in Tennessee.

However, since the nine states mentioned above are not part of the S2S system, new Tennessee residents from these states must obtain an MVR dated within 30 days of their application. This requirement is in addition to the other documents necessary for obtaining a Tennessee license or ID. For further details on the documentation required for a Tennessee driver license, visit the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security website.