Georgia Learner’s Permit: Eligibility, Tests, and Restrictions

To get a Georgia learner’s permit, you must be at least 15 years old, bring documents proving your identity, Social Security number, Georgia residency, and school enrollment to a Department of Driver Services (DDS) customer service center with a parent or guardian, pay a $10 fee, and pass a vision screening and a written knowledge test on road signs and road rules.¹² The permit is called a Class CP, it’s valid for two years, and it only lets you drive when a licensed adult at least 21 years old is seated beside you.

Who Qualifies

The minimum age is 15.² DDS confirms your birthdate from the identity documents you present, so there is no workaround for applying early.

If you’re under 18, your eligibility is also tied to school. Georgia law requires proof that you are currently enrolled in a public school, private school, or home education program, or that you’ve already earned a diploma or equivalent credential.³ Drop out before turning 18 and DDS won’t issue or renew the permit.

A parent or legal guardian has to come with anyone under 18 to the DDS office and sign the application in person.

Documents You Need to Bring

Come prepared to prove four things: who you are, your Social Security number, where you live in Georgia, and (if you’re under 18) that you’re in school.

Identity: an original or certified birth certificate with a raised seal from the Bureau of Vital Statistics, or an unexpired U.S. passport.⁴
Social Security number: you enter your full SSN on the online License/ID/Permit form before your visit. If the system can’t verify it, bring your Social Security card, a W-2, a pay stub, or another document showing your name and full SSN.⁴
Residency: a utility bill, bank statement, school record for the current or previous year, or for minors, an unexpired Georgia license or ID belonging to a parent or guardian.⁵
School enrollment (under 18): a Certificate of School Enrollment Form (DDS-1) signed by a school official, confirming you’re enrolled and not under expulsion.⁶

The permit fee is $10, paid at the time of application.¹

The Written Test

The knowledge exam has two sections: road signs and road rules. Each section contains 20 multiple-choice questions, and you have to get at least 15 correct in each to pass.⁷ The road signs section is given in English only. Every question comes from the Georgia Driver’s Manual, which DDS publishes free online and covers right-of-way rules, pavement markings, and the rest of what you’ll be tested on.

Fail either section and you lose the $10 fee. You’ll pay it again for your next attempt.⁸ DDS doesn’t publish a mandatory waiting period between retakes, so the practical limits are the fee and getting another appointment.

The Vision Screening

DDS also screens your vision at the office. Georgia requires visual acuity of at least 20/60 in one eye, with or without corrective lenses, and a horizontal field of vision of at least 140 degrees.⁹ If you need glasses or contacts to hit that standard, DDS puts a corrective-lens restriction on the permit, meaning you must wear them every time you drive. Applicants who fall below the threshold may have to submit a Vision Report Form (DS-274) completed by an eye doctor before DDS proceeds.

What the Permit Lets You Do

A Class CP permit is not a license. You can practice on public roads, but only with a licensed driver who is at least 21 years old and holds a valid Class C license seated beside you.² Not in the back seat. Not distracted. The statute requires that person be “fit and capable of exercising control over the vehicle,” which means sober and alert. Driving alone with a CP permit is illegal.

There’s one narrow exception. If a parent or guardian has a disability and holds a Georgia identification card marked with the international handicapped symbol, they can serve as the supervising adult even if they cannot physically drive.

One point that trips people up: Georgia’s teen passenger limits and midnight-to-6 a.m. curfew apply to Class D provisional license holders, not to CP permit holders.² That doesn’t turn the permit into a free pass, though. You still need a 21-or-older supervisor beside you at all times, and the supervision rule itself limits when and where you’ll drive.

Georgia’s hands-free law also applies. All drivers are barred from holding a phone or letting it touch any part of their body while driving, and a distracted-driving citation can put points on a young driver’s record fast.

How to Keep the Permit

Georgia gives permit holders little margin. Two things can cost you the permit: points on your record, and losing your school enrollment.

Points

Anyone under 18 who accumulates 4 or more points within 12 months has their permit suspended.¹⁰ Common violations reach that threshold quickly:¹¹

Speeding 15–18 mph over the limit: 2 points
Speeding 19–23 mph over: 3 points
Speeding 24–33 mph over: 4 points
Speeding 34+ mph over: 6 points
Improper lane change: 3 points
Reckless driving: 4 points

A single reckless driving conviction or one speeding ticket for 24 mph over hits the 4-point threshold by itself. A moderate speeding ticket plus an improper lane change gets there too.

Some offenses trigger automatic suspension for anyone under 21 regardless of points: DUI, hit and run, street racing, fleeing a police officer, reckless driving, and any single offense carrying 4 or more points.¹² A nolo contendere plea counts as a conviction for suspension purposes.

School Enrollment

Because driving privileges under 18 are tied to education, losing enrollment status through expulsion, dropping out, or failing to meet home-education reporting requirements can make you ineligible to hold the permit.³ The statute doesn’t set a specific number of unexcused absences as the trigger; DDS looks at whether you remain enrolled and not under expulsion at the time of application or renewal.

What Comes After the Permit

You have to hold the CP permit for at least one year and one day, and be at least 16, before you can apply for a Class D provisional license. Two education requirements gate that next step, and it’s worth starting them during the permit year:

Joshua’s Law driver education. All 16- and 17-year-olds have to complete a state-approved driver education program, which combines classroom or online instruction with behind-the-wheel training and 40 hours of supervised driving (at least 6 of them at night), certified by a parent affidavit.¹³¹⁴
The Alcohol and Drug Awareness Program (ADAP). Teens under 18 must complete this before the Class D license is issued. Many public high schools teach it; an online version called eADAP is available if yours doesn’t.¹⁵

At the Class D stage, you’ll also need a clean permit record (no suspension for a serious violation), completion certificates for both programs, another parent or guardian signature if you’re under 18, and a passing road skills test at the DDS office.¹⁶

1
Georgia Department of Driver Services. Learners Permit
2
Justia Law. Georgia Code 40-5-24 – Instruction Permits
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Justia Law. Georgia Code 40-5-22 – Issuance of Instruction Permit or License
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Georgia Department of Driver Services. Georgia REAL ID Information
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Georgia Department of Driver Services. Secure ID Brochure
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Georgia Department of Driver Services. Certificate of School Enrollment Form
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Georgia Department of Driver Services. Drivers Manual – Section: Knowledge Exam
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Georgia Department of Driver Services. Class CP Learners Permit Brochure
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Justia Law. Georgia Code 40-5-27
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Georgia Department of Driver Services. Section 10 Continued – Section: The Points System
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Georgia Department of Driver Services. Points Schedule
12
Justia Law. Georgia Code 40-5-57.1 – Suspension of Licenses
13
Georgia Department of Driver Services. Joshuas Law Requirements
14
Augusta Tech. 40-Hour Driving Log Affidavit Form
15
Georgia Department of Driver Services. Alcohol and Drug Awareness Program ADAP eADAP
16
Georgia Department of Driver Services. Get a Class D Provisional License