Getting a California Learner's Permit in 2026

Applying under 18, from 15½

To apply for a California instruction permit under 18 you must, according to the DMV's learner's permits page:

• Be at least 15½ but under 18.
• Have a Certificate of Completion or Enrollment of Driver Education.
• Complete the California driver's license or ID card application and have a parent or guardian sign it.
• Visit a DMV office (the DMV says to schedule an appointment), where you bring a California ID card or proof of identity and residency (the DMV links the federal noncompliant, REAL ID and AB 60 document lists), pay the application fee, pass a vision exam, and have your photo taken.
• Take the knowledge test: multiple choice questions from the California Driver's Handbook, with 80 percent to pass. Tests are not available at DMV offices after 4:30 pm.

The DMV's Teen Driver Roadmap lays out the steps from the permit to the license. On the license side, the DMV requires the provisional permit to be held at least six months, driver education, six hours of professional driver training, and 50 hours of practice with 10 of them at night, as covered on the driver's license guide.

Applying at 18 or older

An applicant 18 or older completes the same application, visits a DMV office with a California ID card or proof of identity and residency, pays the application fee, passes the vision exam, has a photo taken, and takes the knowledge test with 80 percent to pass, started before 4:30 pm. The DMV's list for applicants 18 or older has no driver education certificate and no parent signature. The DMV points out that the provisional permit is only for drivers under 18; an adult is issued a plain instruction permit.

The motorcycle instruction permit

For a California motorcycle instruction permit the DMV requires you to be at least 15½; to have a Certificate of Completion of Driver Education and Driver Training if you are between 15½ and 17½; to complete a California Highway Patrol approved California Motorcyclist Safety Program (CMSP) course and receive a Certificate of Completion of Motorcycle Training (DL 389) if you are between 15½ and 21; to complete the application, signed by a parent or guardian if you are under 18; and to visit a DMV office with proof of identity and residency, pay the application fee, pass a vision exam, have a photo taken, and pass the knowledge test, which draws on the California Motorcycle Handbook with 80 percent to pass. The CMSP course is described on the DMV's motorcyclists guide.

The fee and how long the permit application lasts

The permit is part of the driver's license application, and the DMV's fee schedule lists the original Class C application at $46, nonrefundable; the DMV says the application and fee stay valid for 12 months. If the application expires before you have held the provisional permit for the six months required before the driving test, you reapply at a DMV office; the DMV gives cumulative credit for the time you held the permit and says to bring both the expired and the valid permit to the driving test.

The DMV's answers on insurance, driver education and the test

REAL ID. A permit can be applied for as a REAL ID; two residency documents are then required.

Insurance. Proof of financial responsibility must always be carried in the vehicle. Most Californians use an insurance card showing the company's name and address, the period of coverage and the policy number. The minimums are $30,000 for injury or death to one person, $60,000 for injury or death to more than one person, and $15,000 for property damage. The DMV notes that parents or guardians who sign for a minor state that they accept financial responsibility for that minor.

Almost 18. Over 17½ but under 18, you may get the permit without the driver education and training certificates, but you cannot take the driving test until you are 18.

Driver education taken in another state. For an applicant under 18, the DMV accepts a letter from the out-of-state secondary school on its official stationery, signed by a school official, stating that the completed courses are equivalent to a California secondary school course as described in Section 10020 of Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations, on the form To Secondary Schools Other Than California Schools (DL 33). The DL 33 comes from a DMV office or by calling 1-800-777-0133 and is sent to the school to complete. An out-of-state instruction permit is not acceptable proof.

Test hours. In-office knowledge tests run during business hours and must be started before 4:30 pm. The DMV says to study the handbook and use the practice tests.

Questions about the California learner's permit

Can I get the permit at 15½ without driver education?

No. Under 18 the DMV requires a Certificate of Completion or Enrollment of Driver Education. Only an applicant over 17½ but under 18 can get the permit without the driver education and training certificates, and then cannot take the driving test until 18.

What is the passing score on the knowledge test?

80 percent. The questions are multiple choice and come from the California Driver's Handbook (the Motorcycle Handbook for a motorcycle permit). The DMV's teen page says a failed test can be taken again in seven days.

What time do the tests stop?

The DMV says knowledge tests are not available at its offices after 4:30 pm, and must be started before then.

My permit expired before I held it six months. Do I start over?

You reapply at a DMV office, but the DMV gives cumulative credit for the time you held the permit toward the six-month requirement. Bring both the expired and the valid permit to the driving test as proof.

I have a license from another country. Do I still need someone with me?

Yes. The DMV says a driver with a valid license from another country still needs an accompanying driver to and from the drive test.