The ability of a foreign national to obtain a Louisiana Drivers License is dependent on their status with the Department of Homeland Security and have at least 180 days left of their status. There is an exception for agricultural workers which are only required to have at least 60 days left on their Visa. Louisiana allows the issuance of drivers licenses to both immigrants (defined as aliens permanently residing in the US) and non-immigrants (defined as aliens temporarily admitted to the US).
All applicants with a foreign drivers license are required to meet the education, social security, and identification requirements.
Education Requirement
All first time applicants with a foreign drivers license are required to take driver education training and must pass the knowledge, vision and road skills test.
However, only a vision test is required for applicants from countries with a reciprocal agreement (Germany, Switzerland, Taiwain, and South Korea) and certain US Territories (American Samoa, Guam, Mariana Islands, Marshall Islands, Palau, Micronesia, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands). See OMV Policy 18:01
Social Security Requirement
All applicants must provide a social security number evidenced by their social security card or an official written notification or recognized document from the Social Security Administration.
Any alien living in Louisiana who does not have or is ineligible to obtain a social security number must present a letter from the Social Security Administration stipulating that they are ineligible or have not been issued a number.
Identification Requirement
All aliens must provide their immigration documentation to show their immigration status. Non-immigrants must show their I-94 or Employment Authorization Document.
All applicants must meet the identification requirements by providing one primary and two secondary documents OR two primary documents from the list of acceptable documents. Primary documents presented by Immigrants and Non-immigrants include a Passport or Permanent Resident Alien Card. An acceptable secondary document is a foreign driver’s licenses accompanied by proper immigration documents.
If you are involved in an accident and you do not have a driver’s license, you can still make an insurance claim. We discuss this topic here: https://www.kieferandkiefer.com/what-if-you-are-involved-in-accident-while-driving-without-a-license