New to Kentucky

Welcome to Kentucky

If you're new to Kentucky, you're in for a treat! Kentucky has the largest peanut butter plant in the world, the Jif plant in Lexington. The world's largest cache of gold is held underground in Fort Knox. Bowling Green is where you'll find the manufacture of all Chevrolet Corvettes, and Louisville is the home to the first cheeseburger, served way back in 1934.

Kentucky has been the home to many famous figures, including Nobel Prize winners Thomas Hunt Morgan and Phillip A. Sharp; authors Hunter S. Thompson, Elizabeth Madox Roberts, and Edgar Cayce; actors Nick Clooney and Johnny Depp; musical artists Loretta Lynn, John Michael Montgomery, and The Judds; and sports greats Muhammad Ali and Darrell and Michael Waltrip.

You're definitely in good company!

Vehicle Information

If you've found yourself on this page, you obviously want vehicle-related information for Kentucky residents. You're in luck. We've got the information you need about everything from driver licenses and IDs and registration and titling to tickets and traffic school and finding personal injury attorneys.

Basic License Information

New residents who are U.S. citizens or permanent U.S. residents have 30 days to get their Kentucky driver license. Permit holders must be at least age 16 to transfer their permits, and a Kentucky permit must be issued to new teen drivers before a Kentucky driver license can be obtained.

To handle your license needs, go to your local Circuit Court Clerk's office; take proof of your Kentucky residency (such as a utility bill, rent agreement, or deed), your birth certificate, Social Security card, and your out-of-state license.

If your out-of-state license is valid, you won't be required to take any tests; if it isn't valid, you will. If you don't have your license on hand for any reason, you'll need to give the clerk your driving record from your last home state.

Licensing fees depend on the kind of license with which you are dealing.

Basic Registration Information

When you head out to your County Clerk's office for registration purposes, the documents you need to bring will depend on whether you own or lease your vehicle, and whether there are any liens on the vehicle.

Regardless of the situation, you'll need to bring your license, certified inspection by the sheriff's office of your new county and/or original title, and proof of insurance. You'll also need to pay applicable fees and taxes.

College, University, and Technical School Students

Good news, out-of-state students―as long as you're a U.S. citizen and enrolled full-time or part-time, you don't need to transfer your driver license. Just make sure to carry your valid school ID with you at all times.

If you aren't a U.S. citizen and plan to drive, you'll need to obtain your Kentucky driver license. You'll also be interested in our sections for first-time drivers, practice tests, education, and training.

If you don't plan to drive, find out how to apply for an ID card.

Anything Else?

Of course! Moving to Kentucky involves more than just making sure your license and vehicle needs are taken care of.

Kentucky offers a fabulous Moving to the State page that will give you information about the government, counties, employment, family resources, housing and living, education, and utilities and taxes.

CHECK OUT THESE SITES FOR MORE INFORMATION

• Education and Schools in Kentucky
• Kentucky Businesses
• Health and Public Safety in Kentucky
• Kentucky Employment Opportunities
• Kentucky Facts and History