r/CaliforniaDMV

Hi,

I am an international student studying in the United States on an F-1 Visa. My visa stamp is set to expire in June, though my I-20 is active until May 2029; therefore, if I do not leave the United States, my status remains legal.

However, I received my real ID (DL) today, and it was a limited-term and was set to expire in November 2026, which is super weird since it does not correspond to any of my paperwork, not my Visa stamp nor my I-20 end date. Is this a specific issue that's associated with a real ID? IDK how I ended up getting a real-ID instead of a regular driver's license. Is anybody facing this problem? Does anybody have any thoughts on this? Please help me out if you know, thanks so much! It would mean so much for an international student just trying to get around like me. 😭

My tags renew annually in October but I’ve been away from Cali since April 2025. I already paid the registration fees online but I won’t be able to get smog test until I return this May. Will I have any issues getting tags once I pass the test?