Illinois Prepares For Immigrant Drivers Licenses

Undocumented immigrants in Illinois will soon be able to obtain a driver’s license, and one of the roughly two-dozen places where they will be able to do that in the state is in Champaign.

The Illinois Secretary of State’s office has identified 25 locations where people can apply for these ID’s. Spokesman Henry Haupt said anyone applying must first make an appointment, and then take a driver's tests, prove Illinois residency and have a picture taken to go into a state database.

“Provided all of the information was verified, including one year of residency in the state of Illinois, then at that point in time a temporary driver’s license would be issued to the individual at the address they supplied,” Haupt said.

These temporary driver’s licenses will be a different color than other licenses, and Haupt said people who obtain them will also be responsible for maintaining their auto insurance.

He said applications will be accepted at Champaign’s DMV facility at the end of December or early January. Other offices accepting these applications include those in Peoria, Bloomington, and the Chicago area.

To prepare for the rollout, the Secretary of State’s office is holding a series of workshops often in Spanish to explain details of the temporary ID.