"You did not have to be assigned to a unit that directly participated in the war or conflict to be eligible for the free license," according to Pete Wheeler, Georgia's Commissioner of Veterans Affairs, "a veteran could have served during Desert Storm in a stateside assignment and still be eligible for the free license.”

"More than 75 percent of the veterans living in Georgia served during times of conflict and the vast majority of them are eligible to receive a free driver’s license." said Wheeler, "but you must have been discharged or separated under honorable conditions." (See the chart listed below)

In order to obtain a free drivers license, the veteran need only to provide a copy of his or her DD 214 (Certificate of Release of Discharge from Active Duty) at one of the Department of Veterans Service field offices for approval. The DD 214 will be reviewed and a Certificate of Eligibility (DPS516) will be issued to qualified veterans. The veteran then must take the DD 214 and the certificate of eligibility to any of the state’s Department of Driver Services examining offices for any required test and issuance of the free license.

Commissioner Wheeler reminds veterans who qualify that Georgia law now makes a veteran’s free drivers license good until age 65. State law requires all drivers age 64 and older to pass an eye exam at a licensing facility every five years. For more complete information visit the Veterans Services website.