Newly licensed drivers in Colorado may have noticed the state's creative driver's license design. It contains a lot of useful information in list form, including your personal identification information and photo. Conspicuously missing from the Colorado license, however, are the words "driver's license number."

Instead, you see two terms on the license that might be unfamiliar to you: "Customer identifier" in field 4d and "DD" in field 5. 

What Are the Customer Identifier and DD?

Here's the good news. The customer identifier is your driver's license number.  The Colorado DMV is simply using a different term for the same number. You can use this customer identifier on any form or application that asks for your driver's license number.

DD stands for "document discriminator." It is an internal number that state agencies use to identify a particular document, such as your driver's license, from other documents that may have been issued in the past. So, if you lose your license and get a new one, for example, the new license will have a different DD than the old one.

Why Do I Need to Know My Drivers License Number?

So now that you know where to find your driver's license number, we want you to stop everything and write it down somewhere safe. Hopefully, you can memorize it too.

"It's always good to have your driver's license number memorized, or at least in a location where you can look it up should it go missing," says Trooper Josh Lewis, Public Information Officer for the Colorado State Patrol (CSP). "That way, you can report it missing right away." The CSP is a state law enforcement agency that is primarily responsible for traffic enforcement and safety on the roads. 

Trooper Lewis continues, "Even if you never lose your driver's license, it's still a good idea to have the number memorized. This is a number that will follow you throughout your life, or at least as long as you're a driver in Colorado. There are many forms you have to fill out that include the driver's license number. They would be much easier to fill out if you just had the number memorized."

When Can I Get My License After Passing Driver's Ed in Colorado?

In Colorado, you can take driver's ed when you are as young as 14.5 years old. And while you do have to complete either a 30-hour driver education course or a pre-qualification four-hour Driver Awareness Program, those won't qualify you to get your driver's license unless you are at least 16 years old. 

We hope this information is helpful. If you have more questions about Colorado driver's licensing or driver's ed, be sure to check the list of frequently asked questions on the Colorado DMV website.