To get a driver’s license in Illinois, you gather specific identity and residency documents, visit a Secretary of State facility, pass a vision screening, a written knowledge test, and a behind-the-wheel road test, and pay a fee that runs from $5 to $30 depending on your age. Before you go, decide whether you want a standard license or a REAL ID-compliant license, because that choice changes which documents you need to bring. Since May 7, 2025, federal enforcement requires a REAL ID (marked with a star) or an alternative like a valid passport to board domestic flights and enter certain federal buildings.1Transportation Security Administration. REAL ID Both versions require the same tests and the same fee. The only difference is paperwork.
Documents to Bring
The Secretary of State requires at least one document from each of four groups, plus two residency documents.2Illinois Secretary of State. Document Requirements to Obtain a Drivers License or State ID Card
- Group A, written signature: a signed credit or debit card, a U.S. or foreign passport, a Social Security card, a current out-of-state license, or a military ID. Bring one.
- Group B, date of birth: a certified birth certificate, a valid U.S. passport, a naturalization certificate, or a permanent resident card. It must show your full legal name and complete date of birth.
- Group C, Social Security number: your Social Security card, a W-2, a pay stub showing your full SSN, or an SSA-1099.
- Group D, residency: utility bills, bank statements, a lease, mortgage documents, or similar mail showing your Illinois address. Bring two.
Every document must be an original or certified copy. Photocopies and printouts of scanned images are not accepted. If any document is in a language other than English, bring a certified translation with the original.
If You Want a REAL ID
Your Group B document must also prove U.S. citizenship or lawful immigration status. A certified birth certificate, U.S. passport, naturalization certificate, or permanent resident card each work. If you already hold a valid Illinois license or state ID, you can skip a separate Group C document because the facility will re-verify your Social Security number electronically with the SSA.3Illinois Secretary of State. Real ID Checklist Everyone else brings a Group C document.
The Three Tests
Every first-time applicant takes a vision screening, a written knowledge test, and a road test. These can all happen in a single visit, though some facilities schedule the road test separately.
Vision Screening
You need to read at 20/40 or better with both eyes open. Hit that without correction and your license carries no vision restriction; hit it only with glasses or contacts and your license carries a corrective-lens restriction.4Legal Information Institute. Illinois Administrative Code tit. 92, 1030.70 – Driver’s License Testing/Vision Screening Vision between 20/41 and 20/70 with the best correction available may get you a daytime-driving-only restriction. Worse than 20/70 is a failure, and you will need a favorable report from an ophthalmologist or optometrist before you can proceed.5Illinois Secretary of State. Vision Specialist Report
Written Knowledge Test
The written exam has 35 questions. Fifteen ask you to identify traffic signs by shape, color, and meaning. The other twenty are multiple-choice or true-false questions on right-of-way rules, speed limits, safe following distances, and other material from the Illinois Rules of the Road handbook.6Illinois Secretary of State. Illinois Rules of the Road The handbook is free on the Secretary of State’s website, and the test pulls directly from it. Study the sign-identification section; those 15 questions are easy points if you prepare and easy failures if you don’t.
Behind-the-Wheel Road Test
You bring your own vehicle, currently registered and insured in Illinois. The examiner checks that the brake lights, turn signals, and horn work before you pull out. During the test you are graded on starting the vehicle, backing up, turning around, parking and starting on a hill, speed control, and lane usage.7Illinois Secretary of State. Illinois Rules of the Road – Section: Driving Exam The examiner watches for mirror use, signal use, speed-limit compliance, and how you react to other traffic and pedestrians. Causing an accident or driving in a way the examiner considers dangerous is an immediate failure.
If You Fail
Your application fee covers up to three attempts at the written test and three at the road test within one year of your application date.8Illinois General Assembly. 625 ILCS 5/6-106 – Application for License or Instruction Permit A second attempt often happens the same day if the facility has time and staff; a third road test cannot happen the same day you failed the second. Six failed road tests total, and you must submit a medical report before trying again.9Legal Information Institute. Illinois Administrative Code tit. 92, 1030.86 – Written and/or Road Tests
What It Costs
Fees are set by statute and apply to both standard and REAL ID licenses.10Illinois General Assembly. 625 ILCS 5/6-118
- Ages 21 to 68, 4-year license: $30
- Ages 21 to 68, 8-year license: $60
- Ages 18 to 20: $5
- Ages 69 to 80: $5
- Ages 81 to 86: $2
- Age 87 and older: free
- First instruction permit (under 69): $20
- Duplicate or corrected license: $5
Most facilities accept cash, checks, and major credit cards.
Rules That Depend on Your Age and Situation
Under 18: Graduated Driver Licensing
Teen drivers move through a three-phase graduated system, and the phases are set by statute; skipping steps is not an option.
At 15, you can apply for an instruction permit after completing a state-approved driver education course: 30 hours of classroom instruction, 6 hours of behind-the-wheel training with an instructor, and 6 hours of in-car observation. Once you hold the permit, a parent or guardian must certify at least 50 hours of supervised practice driving, with at least 10 of those hours at night.11Illinois General Assembly. 625 ILCS 5/6-107 – Graduated Driver Licensing You must hold the permit for at least nine months before applying for an initial license.
At 16, after the nine-month permit period and completed practice hours, you can test for an initial graduated license. Two restrictions attach. For the first 12 months or until you turn 18, whichever comes first, you cannot have more than one passenger under age 20 in the vehicle; siblings, step-siblings, and your own children do not count.11Illinois General Assembly. 625 ILCS 5/6-107 – Graduated Driver Licensing Your license is also invalid from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Friday and Saturday, with exceptions for driving with a parent or guardian, going to or from work, emergencies, and adult-supervised school or religious activities.12Illinois General Assembly. 625 ILCS 5/6-110 A traffic conviction during the restricted period resets both restrictions until you go six consecutive months without another violation.
At 18, the passenger and nighttime restrictions drop, provided you have kept a clean driving record for the six months before your birthday.13Illinois Secretary of State. Graduated Drivers License
Ages 18 to 20: Adult Driver Education
If you are 18, 19, or 20 and have never held a driver’s license or completed a driver education course, Illinois requires you to finish a six-hour adult driver education course before applying.14Illinois Secretary of State. Adult Driver Education It is a much shorter version of the teen course, but it is not optional. The license fee for this age group is $5.
New Residents: Transferring a License
You may drive on a valid out-of-state or foreign license for up to 90 days after moving to Illinois. After that, you need an Illinois license.15Illinois Secretary of State. How Do I? You visit a facility in person to surrender the old license, present the same identity and residency documents described above, and pass the vision screening and written test. Whether you also take a road test depends on the state your license came from and your driving history; some applicants are waived and some are not. The facility will tell you at check-in.
At the Facility
Most Secretary of State facilities accept appointments through the official online portal, and booking ahead saves significant waiting time for a full license application that includes a road test.16Illinois Secretary of State. Appointments Staff review your documents at check-in and process your payment. You take the vision screening and written test. If you pass both, the road test follows, either the same day or at a scheduled time. After you pass everything, the facility takes your photograph and digital signature and issues a temporary paper license valid for up to 90 days.17Legal Information Institute. Illinois Administrative Code tit. 92, 1030.89 – Temporary Drivers Licenses and Temporary Instruction Permits You can drive on the temporary document while your permanent card is mailed to your verified address, which typically arrives within 15 business days.18Illinois Secretary of State. Drivers License and State ID Card Renewal