Get My Own Driving Record (Abstract) (2024)

A printed copy of your driving record is called an Abstract of Driving Record. There are three types of driving records: Standard, Lifetime and Commercial (CDL). Each driving record abstract contains information grouped within several sections. The date fields on abstracts are shown in mm/dd/yyyy format unless otherwise noted.

If you suspect that your DMV abstract containsincorrect information, contact theDMV Call Center.

Online

You can save and print a PDF version of your Standard, Lifetime, or CDL driving record abstract through MyDMV.You abstract is available in MyDMV until 5 days after your purchase and shows your record as of the time you order it. The fee is $7.

To create a MyDMV account, you need yourmost recentNew York Statedriver license, permit, or non-driver ID. Make sure your computer and webbrowser have all recent updates to avoidproblems downloading your record.

Go to MyDMV

See theRecords Request Navigatorif you do not have:

• a New York State license, permit, or non-driver ID or
• yourmost recentNew York State license, permit, or non-driver ID
  • This can either be a driver license or other government-issued photo ID card (you can black out your photo) or 6 points of identification. See theDMV Document Guide.

Allow 5 business days for processing requests made through the Navigator.

At a DMV Office

To request your Standard driving record at a DMV office, bring

• a completedRequest for Driving Record Information (PDF)(MV-15C)
• proof of identity - This can either be a driver license or other government-issued photo ID card or 6 points of identification. See theDMV Document Guide.
• Cash, credit card, personal check or money order to pay the $10 fee.Make checks and money orders payable to "Commissioner of Motor Vehicles." (If you are renewing your license and want to order your record at the same time, mark the blue box on your renewal notice and add the$10search fee to your renewal fee.)

See location, instructions and reservation information for your DMV

A “standard” driver license abstract only contains information that DMV is required to keep. In most cases, this is information related to your record the past few years. Certain violations will be displayed longer or permanently. For example,

• Most suspensions and revocations are only shown on the driving record abstract for 4 years from the date the suspension or revocation ended.Suspensions for a chemical test refusal are displayed for 5 years from the date of suspension.
• Accidents and most traffic convictions are only displayed until the end of the year in which the accident or conviction occurred, plus 3 additional years.
• Convictions for operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs (DWI) are displayed for 15 years from the date of conviction. Convictions for DWAI are displayed for 10 years from the date of conviction.

See Description of Abstract of Driving Record (PDF) (DS-242.1) for information about how to read and understand a driving record abstract.

Header

The Header section includes the individual's

• name
• mailing address (city, state, ZIP code)
• mailing county
• DMV ID number (Client ID number) from your New York State driver license, learner permit, or non-driver photo ID card
• motorist ID
• date of birth
• gender
• height
• eye color

Note: DMV collects your Social Security Number (SSN) when you apply for an New York State driver license. However, your SSN does not appear on records or documents issued by the DMV.

Summary

The Summary section includes

• license class
• license status
• license expiration date
• a suspension and revocation summary
• any restrictions and/or endorsem*nts that limit or expand the driving privilege.SeeDriver License Class Descriptions(PDF) (MV-500C) for an explanation of driver license classes, restrictions, and endorsem*nts.

Activity

The Activity section includes

• driver license-related course completion
• Commercial Driver License (CDL) history
• license reciprocity information
• various other license-related notes

Suspensions and Revocations

The Suspensions and Revocations section shows scofflaws and non-scofflaws and includes

• the reason for the suspension or revocation
• the date the suspension or revocation took effect
• the order number
• the clear-on date and reason for clearance, if cleared
• complied-on date for non-scofflaws
• location and county of the court where the scofflaws were settled as well as any judgment amount

Non-vehicular Convictions

The Non-Vehicular Convictions section includes the

• type of violation the diver was convicted of
• date of the violation
• date of the conviction
• location where the violation occurred
• amount of the fine and any jail time incurred

Convictions and Bail Forfeitures

The Convictions and Bail Forfeitures section includes the

• type of violation the driver was convicted of
• date of the violation
• date of the conviction
• location where the violation occurred
• amount of the fine and any points incurred

Accidents

The Accidents section includes

• the date of the accident
• whether there was a fatality, personal injury, and/or property damage
• the county where the accident occurred
• the case number

Note: DMV lists an accident on the record of every driver in the accident. An accident that appears on a driving record does not assign the fault to that driver. The DMV does not determine the fault of an accident.

A "Lifetime" driving record contains all the license information DMV currently has available about a driver. It displays all information still in DMV’s possession, regardless of the data retention requirements in the Vehicle and Traffic Law. The record may not include information that dates back to when a driver was initially granted driving privileges. See Description of Abstract of Lifetime Driving Record (PDF) (DS-242.3) for information about how to read and understand a lifetime driving abstract.

Header

The Header section at the top of the abstract includes the following information, as applicable, about the individual:

• deceased
• name
• mailing address (city, state, ZIP code)
• mailing county
• name as it appears on the document
• DMV ID Number (client ID number) from your New York State driver license, learner permit, or non-driver photo ID card
• date of birth (DOB)
• gender
• height
• eye color
• status information for
  • temporary visitor
  • military
  • veteran
  • organ donor
• suspension and revocation summary
• restrictions that limit the driving privilege
• adventure license credentials

See Driver License Class Descriptions (PDF) (MV-500C) for a list and explanation of driver license restrictions.

Summary

The header is followed by a Summary section that includes:

• license class / privilege
• document status (including commercial and 19-A)
• document expiration date
• date of road test eligibility

Current License

The Current License section includes:

• current license class
• current license expiration date
• any endorsem*nts that expand the driving privilege
• type of document that was issued

Non-Driver ID

The Non-Driver ID section includes:

• issue date
• expiration date

Permit History

The Permit History section includes:

• permit classes and the dates for which they were applied for
• date the permit document expired
• any restrictions or endorsem*ntsthat limit or expand the permit privilege

Activity

The Activity section may include:

• driver license-related course completion
• Commercial Driver License (CDL) history
• license reciprocity information

Class / Privilege Change

The Class / Privilege section includes:

• class(es) / privilege(s) the driver holds or has held
• the effective date for each class / privilege
• date each license class / privilege was posted to the license record

Document Issued

The Document Issued section includes:

• type of document
• license class
• issue date

Merges

The Merges section only appears on the abstract if the driver has ever had a license under a different Customer Identification Number (CID) than the one shown in the Header section.

If present, the Merges section will show:

• which CIDs were merged and the resulting CID
• the date the merged CID was put on the record
• any other name connected to the merged CIDs
• any other Dates of Birth (DOB) connected to the merged CIDs
• any other gender connected to the merged CIDs

Suspensions and Revocations

On the Lifetime driving record, the Suspensions and Revocations section is divided into two sub-sections: Non-Scofflaws and Scofflaws. Non-scofflaws and scofflaws are listed separately, in order by effective date, from newest to oldest. For out-of-state courts, the court’s address and phone number are recorded as provided by the issuing jurisdiction.

Non-scofflaws:The type of sanction imposed (suspension or revocation) which results from reasons other than failure to answer a summons or pay a fine / surcharge / assessment. The following fields may appear:

• suspension / revocation date
• incident date,if applicable
• reason (reason for sanction)
• order number
• case number,if applicable
• ticket number,if applicable
• class affected
• civil penalty,if applicable
• termination fee,if applicable
• length of sanction
• clear on (clearance date)
• reason (reason for clearance)
• out-of-state information,if applicable
• rescission,if applicable

Scofflaws:The suspension imposed as a result of failure to answer a summons or pay a fine / surcharge / assessment. The following fields may appear:

• suspension date
• reason (reason for sanction)
• order number
• ticket number
• court name
• clear on (clearance date)
• reason (reason for clearance)

TheConvictions/Bail Forfeituressection lists conviction and bail forfeitures in order of violation date. The following fields may appear:

• conviction / forfeiture (violation description)
• violation date
• conviction date
• location
• penalty,if applicable
• points,if applicable
• commercial vehicle
• hazmat
• ticket number

The Vessel / Snowmobile Privilege Suspensionssection lists boat and snowmobile suspensions in order of effective date. The following fields may appear:

• suspension effective date
• reason (reason for sanction)
• order number
• ticket number,if applicable
• civil penalty,if applicable
• period (length of sanction)
• clear on (clearance date)
• reason (reason for clearance)

TheVessel / Snowmobile Convictionssection lists boat and snowmobile convictions in order of violation date. The following fields may appear:

• conviction
• violation date
• convicted on
• ticket number, if applicable
• location
• penalty, if applicable

Non-Vehicular Convictions:The following fields may appear:

• conviction
• violation date
• conviction date
• location
• penalty
• ticket number

TheAccidentssection lists accidents in order of accident date. The following fields will appear:

• accident date
• county
• case number
• accident type
• accident reports filed

TheAddress Historysection lists addresses on file in order of effective date. The following fields will appear:

• posted (effective date)
• type
• address
• county
• country

CDL abstracts show expanded driver history information that is not available on a Standard Driving Record. In addition to the information provided on a Standard Abstract, the CDL Abstract provides information about:

• Convictions, suspensions, revocations, and other licensing actions in any state committed in any type of vehicle
• Medical certification status and self-certification information:
  • medical certification status (certified, not certified ornot required)
  • self-certification type (NA,NI,EA orEI)
  • Medical Examiner’s Certificate information for drivers who must maintain a valid medical examiner’s certificate on file with DMV:
    • date Medical Certificate posted to license record
    • Medical certification issue date
    • Medical certification expiration date
    • Medical Examiner’s name
    • Medical Examiner’s licensing jurisdiction code
    • Medical Examiner’s license or certificate number
    • Medical Examiner’s specialty code
    • Medical Examiner’s National Registry Number
    • existence of any restrictions on medical certification (such as corrective lenses or hearing aids)
    • existence of any medical variance on medical certification (such as diabetes waiver, vision waiver, hearing waiver, seizure waiver, skills evaluation certification, qualified by operation)
    • medical variance / skilled performance evaluation certificate effective date, if applicable
    • medical variance / skilled performance evaluation expiration date,if applicable

Employers can get CDL abstracts for enrolled drivers through the New York DMV License Event Notification Service (LENS).

Related Documents

• MV-500C: Explanation of Driver License Classes, Endorsem*nts, and Restrictions (PDF)

  English

  Explanation of Driver License Classes, Endorsem*nts and Restrictions

  Download

• DS-242.1: Abstract of Driving Record (PDF)

  English

  Shows a sample of what is on a driver license abstract and explains license classes and common codes. See the DMV Records page for more information.

  Download

• DS-242.3: Description of Abstract of Lifetime Driving Record (PDF)

  English

  Description of Abstract of Lifetime Driving Record

  Download

• MV-15C: Request For Driving Record Information (PDF)

  English

  As part of the Driver's Privacy Protection Act, use this form to request driving record information.

  Download

• MV-15GC: General Consent for Release of Personal Information (PDF)

  English

  Used by a motorist to give consent for another person to obtain the motorist's personal information from DMV records. Usually filed with form MV-15. Must be notarized. See information on the Federal Driver's Privacy Protection Act.

  Download

Related Information

National Driver Register Problems Downloading Your Abstract Records Request Navigator DMV Phone Numbers DMV Document Guide Sign Up for MyDMV License Event Notification System (LENS)