Before you start

Georgia residency
Proof of identity, lawful presence and Georgia residency
A Social Security number, if you have one
Your foreign or international licence
A registered, insured vehicle if a road test is required

Step-by-step

1
Check whether your nation has a reciprocal agreement
Georgia DDS maintains agreements with some countries whose drivers skip the tests. If your nation is not among them you take the written, road and vision tests. Check this first, because it determines the whole shape of the process.
OnlineWho: YouBefore booking
2
Book a DDS appointment early
Metro Atlanta DDS centres are busy and the 30-day clock starts the day you accept employment. Suburban centres in Gwinnett, Cobb and Cherokee are often sooner than the intown ones.
OnlineWho: You
3
Bring your foreign licence — and expect to keep it
Non-US citizens present their foreign or international licence to obtain a Georgia one, and are allowed to keep the original afterwards. Georgia returns most foreign licences and IDs rather than confiscating them.
In personWho: You
4
Take the written, road and vision tests if required
The written test covers Georgia road rules. For the road test you must supply a registered, insured vehicle. Driving schools rent car and instructor together for those without one.
In personWho: You
5
Register the vehicle and pay the title ad valorem tax
Georgia charges a one-off Title Ad Valorem Tax when a vehicle is titled — a percentage of the fair market value, paid instead of annual property tax on the car. On a newer car this is a substantial upfront cost that surprises people expecting a small plate fee.
In personWho: You
6
Choose where you live by the commute, not the map
Atlanta is consistently among the most congested US metros, and the Connector at peak is the worst of it. Drive your prospective commute at the actual hour before signing a lease — a fifteen-mile difference can be forty minutes each way.
In personWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Foreign or international driver licence
Passport, visa and I-94 as identity and lawful-presence proof
Social Security card, if issued
Two proofs of Georgia residency
A registered and insured vehicle for the road test

Things most newcomers don’t know

Georgia's Title Ad Valorem Tax is a large one-off cost, not a small fee.

Instead of an annual vehicle property tax, Georgia charges a one-time percentage of a vehicle's fair market value when it is titled — including when a newcomer brings a car into the state. On a recent car this can run into the thousands. It catches people relocating from another US state with a vehicle they already own.

Source: Georgia Department of Revenue — Title Ad Valorem Tax

You keep your foreign licence here.

Georgia returns most foreign licences and IDs after issuing its own, and non-citizens are explicitly allowed to retain their out-of-country licence. In Illinois you must surrender everything. If you travel home regularly and want to keep driving there, this is a genuine practical advantage.

Source: Georgia DDS — information for non-US citizens

Reciprocity exists but the list is narrow — check it, don't assume it.

Drivers from nations without a DDS reciprocal agreement take the written, road and vision tests in full. The exemption is real for some countries and absent for most. Ten minutes checking saves either an unnecessary test or an unpleasant surprise at the counter.

Source: Georgia DDS — drivers from other nations

MARTA is genuinely useful along two lines and nowhere else.

The rail network is a north-south and an east-west line crossing at Five Points. If your home and work both sit on them — Midtown to the airport, say — it is excellent and includes a direct airport connection most US cities lack. Off those axes, the metro is entirely car-dependent.

Source: MARTA

Common mistakes to avoid

Missing the 30-day deadline because you thought it started after a settling-in period.
Bringing a car into Georgia without budgeting for the Title Ad Valorem Tax.
Sitting tests you were exempt from under a reciprocal agreement.
Signing a lease without driving the commute at peak — Atlanta traffic is genuinely among the worst in America.
Turning up to the road test without a registered, insured vehicle.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.