Table of Contents
Quick Answer: How Adults Get a License
If you're 18 or older getting your first U.S. driver's license, you skip the entire Graduated Driver Licensing pipeline that applies to teens. In most states adults complete the process in 1 day to a few weeks, depending on how quickly your DMV can schedule a road test and how long it takes to get your documents in order.
- Gather your documents. Bring proof of identity, Social Security number, two proofs of state residency, and the application fee.
- Pass the written knowledge test. Study the state driver's handbook and take a 20–50 question multiple-choice test on traffic laws and road signs.
- Practice driving on your permit. Use your permit to practice with a licensed adult. Most states let you take the road test as soon as you feel ready, with no minimum hour requirement.
- Take the road test. Demonstrate basic driving skills to a DMV examiner: stops, turns, lane changes, parking, and observation.
- Receive your license. Pay the licensing fee, take your photo, and walk out with a temporary license. Your permanent card arrives in the mail within a few weeks.
The big difference vs. teens: No parental consent, no mandatory practice hours, no provisional license, no curfews. Once you pass the road test you receive a full unrestricted license.
Watch out for these exceptions: A handful of states still require an adult permit holding period or mandatory driver's education. Maryland, Texas, Colorado, and Illinois are the most common to know about. See how the adult path differs below for the full list.
Who This Guide Is For
This guide covers adults applying for their first driver's license. It assumes you don't hold a license from another U.S. state or another country.
- U.S.-born adults who never drove — common for people who grew up in cities with good public transit.
- New immigrants without a foreign license — if you never drove in your home country, this is your guide. (If you have a foreign license, see our foreign license conversion guide instead.)
- Adults coming back to driving after an expired license. If your license expired more than 1–2 years ago, most states treat you as a first-time applicant.
How the Adult Path Differs
Graduated Driver Licensing is the multi-stage system used in all 50 states for drivers under 18. It exists because teen drivers have a fatal crash rate roughly four times higher than drivers 20 and older. Adults, statistically, don't need the same training wheels — so the GDL stages don't apply.
State Exceptions Adults Should Know
A handful of states still require adults to wait through a permit holding period or complete a mandatory course before licensure. If you're in one of these, add a few weeks to your timeline:
- Maryland: 3-month adult permit holding period for ages 18–24, dropping to 45 days at age 25+. Driver's ed (30-hr classroom + 6-hr behind-the-wheel) is required for all new drivers regardless of age. MVA
- Texas: Adults 18–24 must complete a 6-hour Texas Adult Driver Education course plus a 1-hour ITAD video before taking the test. Adults 25+ can take the written test online. Texas DPS
- Colorado: Adults 18–20 must complete the 4-hour Pre-Qualification Driver Awareness Program (or the full 30-hour driver education course). Colorado DMV
- Illinois: Adults 18+ must complete a 6-hour Adult Driver Education course before licensure. IL Secretary of State
- Connecticut: 90-day permit holding period for adults 18+, unless you complete an 8-hour safe-driving practices course (which lets you skip the wait).
- New Jersey: 3-month examination permit period for adults 21+; 6 months for ages 17–20.
- Virginia: Adults must either complete a state-approved driver-ed course or hold a learner's permit for at least 60 days before the road test. VA DMV
In every other state, adults can apply for a permit and take the road test as soon as scheduling allows — often the same day.
| Requirement | Teens (under 18) | Adults (18+) |
|---|---|---|
| Parental consent | Required | Not required |
| Permit holding period | 6–12 months in most states | None in most states. Exceptions: MD (3mo), CT (90d), NJ (3mo), VA (60d) |
| Supervised practice hours | 30–70 hours, including 10+ at night | None |
| Provisional / intermediate license | Required between permit and full license | Skipped — straight to full license |
| Nighttime curfew | Typically 10 or 11 p.m. – 5 a.m. | None |
| Passenger limits | Usually 1 non-family teen for first 6–12 months | None |
| Driver's ed | Required in ~30 states | Optional in most states. Required in TX (18–24), MD (all ages), CO (18–20), IL (18+) |
Step 1 — Gather Your Documents
Adults need the standard ID/residency proof — there is no parental consent or supervised practice log to bring.
- Proof of identity and date of birth (birth certificate or U.S. passport)
- Proof of Social Security number (SSN card, W-2, or pay stub showing the full SSN)
- Two proofs of state residency (utility bill, bank statement, lease, etc.)
- The application fee (typically $10–$90 depending on the state)
For the full state-by-state checklist, see our What to Bring to the DMV guide.
REAL ID note
Since May 7, 2025, the TSA requires all adult air travelers to present a REAL ID-compliant license, a passport, or another accepted ID at airport security. If you want your first license to be REAL ID-compliant (look for the star in the upper corner), you must present your documents in person — even in states that otherwise allow online or mail renewal. See the TSA REAL ID page for details.
Step 2 — Pass the Written Knowledge Test
Every state requires a written knowledge test as part of the licensing process. It covers traffic laws, road signs, right-of-way, safe-following distances, and alcohol/drug rules. Most tests are computer-based and offered in several languages.
Adults sometimes get a slightly shorter version of the test. California, for example, gives 36 questions to applicants 18 and older versus 46 for under-18s.
| State | Questions | Passing Score |
|---|---|---|
| California (under 18) | 46 | 38 of 46 (≈83%) |
| California (18+) | 36 | 30 of 36 (≈83%) |
| Texas | 30 | 70% |
| Florida | 50 | 40 of 50 (80%) |
| New York | 20 | 14 of 20 (70%) |
| Illinois | 35 | 80% |
| Pennsylvania | 18 | 15 of 18 (≈83%) |
About 35% of first-time test takers fail the written permit test, according to aggregated state DMV data. Studying with quality practice questions cuts that failure rate dramatically.
The DMV Help app offers free state-specific permit practice tests in 11 languages, drawn from the same question banks your state uses. Pair them with our study strategy guide to put yourself on the right side of that 35% number.
Multilingual Testing
45 of the 50 states plus DC offer the written test in at least one non-English language. Spanish is available in 48 states and DC. California offers the broadest menu (around 30 languages); Massachusetts, Kentucky, Iowa, and Virginia each offer 20 or more. Only Alaska, Louisiana, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming are English-only.
Ready to Study for the Written Test?
Free state-specific practice tests in 11 languages, drawn from real DMV question banks.
Start a Practice TestStep 3 — Practice Driving
As an adult you don't have to log a minimum number of supervised hours. But you still have to pass a road test, so you need to be confident behind the wheel before you book it. The general rule of thumb: 10 to 20 hours of practice is enough for most adults if you start with the basics in an empty parking lot and work up gradually.
On a learner's permit, you must drive with a licensed adult — usually 21 or older with at least one year of licensed driving experience — in the front passenger seat. The same rule applies to adult permit holders as to teens.
Skills to Master Before the Road Test
The road test will sample from a familiar list of maneuvers. Practice them in order so each builds on the last:
- Smooth starts, stops, and use of mirrors and signals
- Right and left turns from the correct lane, with proper hand position
- Lane changes with shoulder check (mirrors are not enough)
- Three-point turns and U-turns where legal
- Parallel parking and reverse stall parking
- Backing in a straight line for 50 feet without drifting
- Highway entry, lane keeping at speed, and safe exiting
- Emergency stops and recovery from skids in safe conditions
Practice Driving Tips
- Start in an empty lot. Spend your first 5–10 hours in a parking lot working on stops, turns, and parking with no traffic.
- Move to residential streets. Once you're comfortable controlling the car, add four-way stops, school zones, and uncontrolled intersections.
- Add complexity gradually. Multi-lane arterials, then highways, then night driving, then rain. Don't mix new conditions.
- Practice in your test vehicle. Get at least 5 hours behind the wheel of the exact car you'll bring to the DMV.
- Consider a few professional lessons. If no one in your household drives or you're unfamiliar with U.S. road rules, 5–10 hours with a certified instructor in a dual-control car is the fastest way to get road-test ready.
Step 4 — Take the Road Test
What to Expect on the Road Test
A typical road test lasts 15–30 minutes and is conducted by a state DMV examiner who rides in the front passenger seat. Before you start the car they will check your turn signals, brake lights, horn, and windshield wipers. During the test they will ask you to perform a defined set of maneuvers and a short open-road drive on residential and arterial streets.
Examiners use a standardized scoring sheet. You can usually accumulate a small number of point deductions and still pass — but most states have a list of “automatic failure” actions that immediately end the test. These include hitting another vehicle or object, running a red light or stop sign, driving on the wrong side of the road, or any unsafe action that requires the examiner to take control.
Day-Before Checklist
- Confirm your appointment time and DMV location
- Make sure your test vehicle is registered, insured, and roadworthy — working lights, signals, brakes, horn, mirrors, and seatbelts
- Bring your learner's permit, the vehicle's registration and insurance card, and a backup driver in case you don't pass
- Get a full night of sleep and eat before you go
- If your state publishes test routes, drive the route once with a licensed adult earlier in the day
Our DMV test tips guide covers each item in detail.
Common Mistakes That Cause Failures
State DMVs and the AAA Foundation report the same handful of mistakes account for the majority of road test failures. Practice these specifically:
- Rolling stops — coming to a “California stop” instead of a complete halt at a stop sign or red light. Often an automatic fail.
- Skipping the shoulder check — relying on mirrors alone for lane changes. Examiners want to see your head turn.
- Improper lane changes — no signal, drifting between lanes, or changing lanes through an intersection.
- Parking errors — touching the curb on parallel parking, hitting cones, or not lining up straight in a stall.
- Speeding or driving too slowly — examiners deduct for both. Match the posted limit and the flow of traffic.
- Failure to yield — to pedestrians, bicyclists, oncoming traffic on left turns, or to right-of-way at a four-way stop.
- Insufficient observation at intersections — the single most-cited fail in DMV.org's national summary.
Step 5 — Receive Your License
When the examiner hands you a passing score sheet, they will direct you back inside the DMV to complete the licensing paperwork. You'll have your photo taken, pay the licensing fee ($25–$90 depending on the state), and receive a temporary paper license valid for 30–60 days. Your permanent card arrives in the mail within 1–4 weeks.
Because you're 18 or older, your first license is a full unrestricted license — no provisional stage, no curfew, no passenger limits. The only universal rule is the federal zero-tolerance alcohol law for drivers under 21, but that goes away on your 21st birthday.
A regular passenger driver's license is called a Class D in most states (Class C in California, Texas, and a few others). It allows you to drive cars, light trucks, and SUVs up to a posted gross vehicle weight rating — usually 26,000 pounds. It does not let you drive motorcycles or commercial trucks; those require additional endorsements or a separate license class.
Should Adults Take Driver's Education?
Driver's education is rarely required for adults — only a handful of states require it for first-time applicants over 18 (and even then, usually only if you're between 18 and 24). For everyone else it's optional, but it can still be a good investment for two reasons:
- Insurance discounts: Most carriers (GEICO, State Farm, Allstate, USAA, Progressive) offer 5–15% off premium for drivers who complete an approved course, usually with the discount continuing until age 21 or 25.
- Faster path to passing: Behind-the-wheel lessons with a certified instructor in a dual-control car will get you ready for the road test faster than self-teaching, especially if no one in your household drives.
Our driver's education guide covers what a program includes, how much it costs, and how to choose a school.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can adults skip the learner's permit?
- In most states adults still need a learner's permit, but there's no required waiting period — many states let you take the road test the same day or as soon as you can schedule it. Maryland, Connecticut, New Jersey, Virginia, Rhode Island, and a few others still require an adult permit holding period of 30 days to 3 months.
- Do adults need to log supervised practice hours?
- Mostly no. The supervised practice-hour requirement in GDL applies only to drivers under 18. The main exception is Maryland, which requires 60 logged practice hours for adults 18–24. In every other state, adults can practice as much or as little as they need.
- How long does it take an adult to get a driver's license?
- Most adults complete the entire process in 1 day to a few weeks. The slow case is 3–4 months in states with mandatory holding periods or driver's-ed courses (Maryland, Connecticut, Virginia, Texas for ages 18–24). The biggest variable elsewhere is road-test scheduling backlog at your DMV.
- Is driver's education required for adults?
- It depends on your state. Texas requires a 6-hour adult driver-ed course for first-time applicants ages 18–24. Maryland requires a 30-hour classroom + 6-hour behind-the-wheel course for all new drivers regardless of age. Colorado requires a 4-hour Pre-Qualification course for ages 18–20. Illinois requires a 6-hour Adult Driver Education course for all 18+ first-time applicants. In every other state, driver's ed is optional but can earn a 5–15% insurance discount.
- Will I have any restrictions on my license?
- No. Adults bypass the provisional/intermediate stage entirely in every state. Once you pass the road test you receive a full unrestricted license with no curfews, passenger limits, or holding period.