West Cook News

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on June 30 signed into law a bill that allows immigrants to apply for a standardized Illinois drivers license, regardless of their immigration status. The four-year standard licenses will replace the current Temporary Visitor Driver's License (TVDL) and serve as a valid form of identification.

“This legislation is a significant step in eliminating the barriers to opportunity that many undocumented immigrants face,” Pritzker said in a June 30 press release. “We’re ensuring every eligible individual can obtain a driver’s license, making our roads safer, decreasing stigma, and creating more equitable systems for all.”

TVDLs resemble standard driver's licenses, only with a purple strip on the top bearing the letters "TVDL," with "Not Valid for Identification" under the banner. The new licenses will look like standard licenses, with the words "Federal Limits Apply" at the top, according to a report by WTTW News. The new licenses do not qualify as REAL ID for travel purposes, the report states. 

Illinois Sec. of State Alexi Giannoulias hailed the change to standardized licenses from TVDLs, which he called "the 'Scarlet Letter' of an individual's immigration status and sadly exposes them to discrimination or immigration enforcement," the release reports.

"This legislation allows immigrants to obtain standard driver licenses that will serve as authentic identification in Illinois," Giannoulias said in the release. "It will help prevent the stigma, instances of discrimination, and problems that TVDLs have been known to cause while making roads safer and enabling immigrants to use a standard license as identification for basic necessities like filling prescriptions or renting an apartment."

Illinois became one of the first states to have a TVDL program, which was implemented in 2013. More than 300,000 people currently have a TVDL, according to the state's release. 

Immigrants who are legally able to drive must pass a driving test, have valid insurance and identification documents, and proof of at least one year of Illinois residency to apply for the new license, the release states. HB 3882 will be in effect Jan. 1, 2024, according to the release.