A law invalidating out-of-state driver licenses issued exclusively to illegal aliens and making it a misdemeanor offense to operate motor vehicles in the state with such licenses is set to take effect in Tennessee this week.
Passed by the Tennessee General Assembly and signed by Governor Bill Lee earlier this year, the law deems any driver’s license issued by another state exclusively to illegal aliens – for example, those distinctly marked to differentiate them from licenses issued to U.S. citizens or lawful residents – invalid in the Volunteer State.
Further, the law classifies operating a motor vehicle in the state with an invalid license as a Class B misdemeanor.
The law is set to go into effect on January 1.
Upon passage and approval by the governor, the law also mandated that the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security (TDSHS) publish a list of such invalid out-of-state license classes on its website by December 1, 2025, and update the list as necessary.
TDSHS’ website currently lists Connecticut and Delaware as states that issue classes of driver licenses to illegal aliens that are invalid in Tennessee, per the new law.
Nineteen states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia issue driver’s licenses to individuals who are in the U.S. illegally.
Earlier this year, Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson (R-Franklin), who sponsored the bill, said that licenses issued exclusively to illegal aliens from other states “creates confusion for law enforcement” and undermines the “consistency” Tennessee relies on to keep its roads safe.
“This bill doesn’t affect licenses issued to legal non-citizens. It targets a narrow category that undermines the rule of law,” Johnson explained at the time.
“In Tennessee, we believe the rules of the road and the rules of our country ought to mean something,” he added.
Further, Johnson told The Michael Patrick Leahy Show that the new law is meant to serve as a “deterrent” to illegal aliens from driving on Tennessee roads.
Along with Johnson, the bill was sponsored in the General Assembly by State Rep. Lee Reeves (R-Franklin).
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
This to me is just another feel good law passed and will be hard to enforce. As of December 30, 2025, 19 U.S. states and the District of Columbia issue driver’s licenses or driving privilege cards to individuals who are in the country without legal status, with specific designations indicating they are not valid for federal purposes. These licenses are typically marked with phrases such as “Not for Federal Purposes,” “Federal Limits Apply,” or “Driving Privilege Only,” distinguishing them from REAL ID-compliant licenses. Connecticut and Delaware are the only states that issue specialized “drive-only” licenses explicitly labeled as not valid for identification purposes, which has made them the primary targets of recent state-level efforts to invalidate out-of-state licenses held by undocumented immigrants.