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I have a driving license from CT (Connecticut), and a vehicle registered with my name in OR (Oregon).

So Can I drive in OR with my CT Driving License? And for how long I can drive?

3 Answers 3

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You can drive temporarily in any US state with a drivers license from any other US state.

However, if your residence is no longer in CT, then you must get an OR driver's license. You can read about relocating on the OR DOT site, but basically it says if you change your residence, you need to change your address with the DMV.

As long as you are in OR temporarily (there's no good definition for temporarily, so it's mostly up to you) then sure, use your CT license.

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    In some jurisdictions I have found what it means to be a resident of a particular state is not obviously defined. In Australia where we have a comparable system I found this did not depend on how much time you spent in the new state but registering to vote did make you a resident of the new state. If you are planning to spend a long period in Washington you might want to see how these things work in that area. In Australia for instance the consequences can include legally being regarded as driving without a licence. Mar 15, 2012 at 8:34
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You can drive in Oregon with a CT license. That is the easy part.

If you change your state of residence, most states require that you change your license.

Since you have registered your vehicle in Oregon, and not CT, the Oregon DMV (and any police officers you happen to meet) may wonder whether you are really a CT resident.

This may be helpful, too: http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/DMV/driverid/residency.shtml

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From Article 4, Section 1 of the United States Constitution:

Full Faith and Credit shall be given in each State to the public Acts, Records, and judicial Proceedings of every other State.

This means that documents issued in one state will work in any other, including drivers licenses. As others have said, if you move, you'll need to update, but this is the legal justification for why your driver's license, passport, diplomas, unemployment benefits, etc... all work in every state of the Union.

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    This is really a comment to AffableGeek's answer, but I guess I can't post a comment here as it's my first visit to this site. Your answer is true, but don't take it too literally. Documents from one state are only valid in another state to the extent that they conform with local law, and in some cases, to the extent that the states have an agreement. For example, I have a license to carry a concealed weapon in Michigan. Many other states recognize this licesne, but, for example, Maryland does not. If I carried a concealed weapon in Maryland I could be convicted of a felony (assuming they caug Jul 12, 2012 at 20:37
  • @MarkDanielJohansen - moved your answer into a comment, since that appears to be your original intent.
    – Mark Mayo
    Jul 12, 2012 at 20:44

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