The Alaska Driver Manual is the official study guide published by the Alaska Division of Motor Vehicles, and it is the book the state’s written knowledge test is built from. You can download it free as a PDF at dmv.alaska.gov/credential-services/drivermanual/, or pick up a printed copy at any DMV field office at no charge. Both versions contain the same material, and the DMV updates the digital file when laws change, so whichever format you prefer, you are studying the current rules.
Where to Get the Manual
The fastest route is the PDF on the DMV’s driver manuals page. It opens on phones, tablets, and computers, and you can search inside it for a specific topic rather than flipping through chapters. If you would rather have paper in your hands, every DMV field office in the state keeps copies at the counter for walk-in pickup. There is no fee either way.
What’s Inside
The manual walks through Alaska’s traffic laws, which are codified in Title 13 of the Alaska Administrative Code. You get explanations of regulatory signs, pavement markings, and traffic signals, along with the specific lane-use rules the test tends to draw from. One example gives the flavor: on a three-lane road with two-way traffic, the center lane is reserved for passing, preparing for a left turn, or travel in whichever direction has been designated for it. The manual expects you to know rules at that level of specificity.
A large share of the book is devoted to conditions you will only find in Alaska. Winter driving sections cover vehicle control on snow-packed and icy surfaces, including black ice, which is nearly invisible and common during the long dark months. Braking distances increase dramatically in cold weather, and visibility shrinks at northern latitudes where daylight can drop to just a few hours. Sharing the road with moose and other large wildlife gets its own coverage because animal-vehicle collisions here are not rare events. The manual walks you through scanning the roadside for animals and what to do when one steps into your path.
Impaired driving is covered in detail. The legal blood alcohol concentration limit in Alaska is 0.08 for regular drivers and 0.04 for commercial operators. Refusing a breath, blood, or urine test triggers its own penalties separate from a DUI conviction. Administrative license revocation runs 90 days for a first offense, one year with one prior conviction, three years with two priors, and five years with three or more prior convictions. The criminal penalties on top of that are mandatory minimums, not maximums, and they escalate quickly with each new offense.
The manual also explains Alaska’s mandatory auto insurance law. Every licensed driver must carry at least $50,000 per person and $100,000 per incident for bodily injury or death, plus $25,000 for property damage. Those minimums are higher than what many states require. Driving uninsured can get your license suspended, and after a serious violation such as a DUI you may be required to file an SR-22 certificate of financial responsibility with the DMV to prove you carry coverage.
The Knowledge Test
The computerized knowledge test pulls its questions straight from the manual. There are 20 questions, and you need 16 right to pass, which is 80%. Expect questions on traffic signs, right-of-way, safe following distances, and the Alaska-specific material on winter driving and wildlife. The DMV posts a free practice test on its website that mirrors the real exam’s format, and it is a good way to find out whether your studying has stuck before you pay the fee.
You also take a vision screening at the office. The standard is 20/40 acuity in one or both eyes. If you need glasses or contacts to meet it, a corrective lenses restriction goes on your license.
Documents to Bring
The application itself is Form D1, “Driver License, Permit or Identification Card Transaction Application.” You can download it from the DMV’s forms page or fill one out at the counter. It asks for your name, date of birth, Social Security number, height, weight, and eye color, along with whether you have held a license in another state in the past ten years, whether your driving privileges have ever been suspended or revoked, and whether you have any medical conditions that affect your driving.
You need to bring one primary identity document proving your legal name, date of birth, and lawful presence in the United States. An original or certified U.S. birth certificate, a valid U.S. passport, or applicable immigration documents from the Department of Homeland Security all work. You also need proof of your Alaska residential address, which has to be a physical address rather than a P.O. box. Utility bills, paycheck stubs, bank statements, lease agreements, and first-class mail are accepted. And you need your Social Security number, or a letter from the Social Security Administration if you do not have one.
If your current legal name is different from the one on your birth certificate, bring documentation for each step in the chain: marriage certificates, divorce decrees, court orders, or amended birth certificates. Every document has to be an original or a certified copy from a government agency. Photocopies, faxes, and scans will be turned away.
REAL ID
REAL ID enforcement began on May 7, 2025. If you want to use your Alaska license to board domestic flights or enter federal facilities, you need a REAL ID-compliant card, marked with a star on the front. Alaska has been issuing them since April 2019. Everyone applying for one has to appear in person, and you must bring two documents verifying Alaska residency plus proof of U.S. citizenship, permanent residency, or other lawful status, even if the DMV already has these on file. A standard non-commercial license is $20; the REAL ID version is $40. If you do not fly or need to enter federal buildings, a standard card is still perfectly valid for driving.
Fees
- Instruction permit: $15 (no REAL ID option for permits)
- Permit renewal: $5
- Non-commercial driver license, standard: $20
- Non-commercial driver license, REAL ID: $40
- Commercial driver license, standard: $100
- Commercial driver license, REAL ID: $120 (CDLs are required to be REAL ID-compliant)
Once you have passed the tests and paid, the DMV issues a temporary paper license you can use right away. The permanent card arrives in the mail at the address on your application in about two to four weeks.
The Road Test
After you pass the knowledge test and get your instruction permit, you schedule a road test online at a DMV office that offers them. You can reschedule up to 24 hours ahead without a fee. You bring your own vehicle, and it has to be roadworthy and legal: working lights, signals, horn, mirrors, wipers, defroster, seat belts for both you and the examiner, a working speedometer, and doors that open from inside and out. Aftermarket window tinting is not allowed under Alaska law. Bring at least a quarter tank of fuel for the roughly 30-minute exam.
Motorcycle riders can skip the DMV road test by presenting a certificate from the Motorcycle Safety Foundation course, the California Motorcycle Safety Program, or the Team Oregon Motorcycle Safety Program, dated within the current or previous calendar year.
Teen Drivers and Graduated Licensing
Drivers under 18 move through three stages before getting an unrestricted license, and the manual lays out what each one requires.
- Instruction permit, age 14 and up. You pass the knowledge test and vision screening. When you drive, a licensed driver who is at least 21 and has at least a year of experience must be in the passenger seat. The permit is good for two years.
- Provisional license, age 16 and up. You must have held the instruction permit for at least six months and logged 40 hours of supervised driving. On a provisional license you cannot carry passengers under 21 except for siblings, and you cannot drive between 1:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. unless you are traveling to or from work. Breaking those restrictions is a $200 fine and a two-point violation on your record.
- Full license. After six months on a provisional license with no traffic conviction, drug offense, or alcohol violation, you can upgrade to a regular unrestricted license. A conviction during the provisional period restarts the six-month clock.
Anyone under 18 needs a parent or guardian to sign off on the application. For motorcycle credentials, both parents or guardians must sign. A parent can withdraw consent in writing at any time before the teen turns 18, which cancels the license or permit until the teen turns 18 or new consent is given.
Renewal
An Alaska driver license is valid for eight years from the date of issuance, one of the longer renewal cycles in the country. Renewal costs the same as the original: $20 standard, $40 REAL ID. Mail renewals add a $1 processing fee. If your license has already expired, what you have to do next depends on how long it has been lapsed, so call the DMV or check the website before you make the trip.