3.3 New Licenses, Conversions, Voter, Veteran & Donor Options, and RMV Fees

The final pages of Manual Chapter 1 cover what happens after the road test, how drivers arriving from elsewhere convert their credentials, and the fees. The PDI exam can ask about any of these numbers.

Receiving Your New License

• Prepaid and passed. If you pass, have prepaid your license fee and have no outstanding obligations, the examiner validates your permit as a temporary license good for up to 60 days (or until the permit expires, if sooner). The RMV mails the permanent photo license.
• Passed but not prepaid. Within 60 days, either pay online or make a reservation and bring the permit with the road test results to a service center. Paying online without a visit means no temporary license. Not paying within 60 days may mean retaking the road test at your own expense.
• Photo age. If you are over 20 but your photo on file was taken under 20, you must reserve a service center visit to get the license.
• Mailing. Licenses are made at a secure site and generally mailed 10–14 business days after the service center visit. If the permanent license hasn't arrived within 30 days, call the Contact Center.
• Receipts. A service center receipt works as a temporary license but is not valid identification for airlines or cruises.
• Carry it. Whenever you drive in Massachusetts, the license must be on your person or within easy reach in the vehicle.

Converting From Another Jurisdiction

New residents with an out-of-state license may be able to convert without testing, subject to the RMV's identification and conversion policies.

Junior Operator conversion

A Junior Operator converting a license needs:

1. a certified copy of the driving record from the state they are leaving;
2. the RMV's identification documents;
3. a Massachusetts driver education certificate on file (an out-of-state certificate counts only if its program meets or exceeds Massachusetts classroom and in-car minimums; apply with the RMV's conversion form);
4. 40 more hours of supervised driving (30 with a skills program), certified by a parent or guardian.

The converted driver follows the entire Massachusetts JOL law with one exception, the passenger restriction. It depends on the record: a driver who has held a valid license for a full six months without suspension or revocation is not subject to it.

Permit conversion

• A Class D or M permit can be converted to the equivalent Massachusetts permit if it was issued less than two years ago and comes with a certified driving record no more than 30 days old.
• Applicants under 18 need a parent's or guardian's signature.
• No permit exam is required, but the fee is charged.
• The converted permit keeps the original issue date so the holder still meets the six-month rule. It expires two years from that adjusted date, or for REAL ID at the end of the authorized stay if sooner.

U.S. territories, Canada and Mexico

Drivers converting from one of the 14 U.S. territories, Canada or Mexico must meet identification rules and submit an original certified driving record no more than 30 days old. Those jurisdictions' records are not available through PDPS. The territories listed are American Samoa, Baker Island, Guam, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, the Midway Islands, Navassa Island, the Northern Mariana Islands, Palmyra Atoll, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Wake Island.

Voter Registration, Veteran Indicator and Organ Donation

The Manual cites national figures: 17 people die each day waiting for transplants, and more than 120,000 patients are waiting.

RMV License and ID Fees

Licenses issued for less than five years are prorated. All license fees are non-refundable and subject to change. Disabled veterans pay no license fees if they have, or have qualified with Medical Affairs for, Disabled Veteran plates.