California has made it legal for undocumented immigrants to obtain a driver's license, and thousands are utilizing the opportunity.

As a result of California Assembly Bill 60 (AB 60), the state's Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) are required to issue a driver license to applicants who are unable to submit "satisfactory" proof of their status in the U.S. Applicants utilizing AB 60 must meet all other qualifications for a driver's license including proof of identity and California residency.

Based on preliminary statistics from the California DMV, 17,200 applications were received as a result of AB 60. The DMV expects up to 1.4 million applications in the first three years of the program.

"We have spent the past year working together with our partners and stakeholders in the implementation of AB to ensure we serve the needs of our customers," said DMV Director Jean Shiomoto in a statement. "We appreciate the hard work of all DMV employees who work diligently to ensure this department continues to provide excellent customer service for all California."

Potential applicants are able to create an appointment online or on the DMV Now app available on Apple iPhone and Google Android devices. Applicants are also able to call for visit the local DMV location. The appointment should be made as an "Original Driver License." Regardless of status in the U.S., applicants are required to study for the driver license knowledge test, complete form DL44, proof of identity and California residency, and pass a vision and knowledge examination. Applicants are also required to give a thumbprint and have their picture taken.

Examples of proof of Californian residency are the rental or lease agreement, mortgage or utility bill, school documents, medical documents, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tax returns and federal government-issued documents.

Approved foreign passports vary per country and the year it was issued. Applicants from Mexico may use their Mexican passport as proof of identity if it was issued in 2008. Years for other Latin American countries vary such as 2009 for El Salvadoran passports, 2005 for Honduran passports, 2011 for Guatemalan passports and 2013 for Ecuadoran passports.

In preparation for the AB 60's first day, the California DMV held nearly 200 public workshops and community meetings for approximately 50,000 potential applicants, extended Saturday office hours at 60 DMV locations for appointment-only applicants and hired 900 employees.

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