How to Get a Driver’s Permit in Michigan: Documents and Tests

To get a driver’s permit in Michigan, the process depends on your age. If you’re under 18, you must first complete Segment 1 of a state-approved driver education course, then visit a Secretary of State office to apply for a Level 1 Learner’s License. If you’re 18 or older and haven’t been licensed anywhere in the past four years, you skip driver education, walk into a Secretary of State branch, pass a knowledge test and a vision screening, pay $25, and receive a paper Temporary Instruction Permit the same day.¹²

Both tracks share the same document requirements and the same tests. The timelines, restrictions, and driver-education rules differ. Read the section that matches your age after the shared requirements below.

Documents to Bring

You need original documents in four categories. Photocopies and faxes are not accepted for identity or legal presence.³ Showing up without the right paperwork is the most common reason applicants get turned away.

Social Security number proof: your Social Security card, a W-2, a 1099, or a pay stub showing the full number. If you aren’t eligible for an SSN, bring a letter of ineligibility from the Social Security Administration dated within the past year.⁴
Legal presence: a valid U.S. passport, a certified birth certificate, a Certificate of Naturalization, a Permanent Resident Card, or another qualifying immigration document.
Identity: an unexpired U.S. passport, a certified birth certificate, or another document from the approved list on Form SOS-428.
Michigan residency: two documents such as utility or credit card bills from the last 90 days, a bank statement from the last 90 days, a mortgage or lease, a Michigan vehicle registration at your current address, a school report card, or an insurance policy. Both must show your name and address.⁴

One document can cover more than one category. A U.S. passport, for instance, satisfies both legal presence and identity. Plan around that overlap.

You do not need a Social Security number if you aren’t eligible for one.⁵ Bring the SSA ineligibility letter (less than a year old) along with immigration documents showing your status.

The Two Tests You’ll Take at the Office

Every applicant takes a written knowledge test and a vision screening at the Secretary of State office.

The knowledge test has 50 multiple-choice questions on Michigan traffic laws, road signs, and safe driving. You need at least 40 correct to pass.² Study the official handbook, What Every Driver Must Know, available free online at the Secretary of State website and in print at branch offices. Practice tests built from the handbook are the single most useful preparation.

The vision screening is done on a standard eye-test machine at the counter. Bring your glasses or contacts if you wear them. If you only meet the standard with corrective lenses, your permit and eventual license will carry a restriction requiring you to wear them.

If You’re Under 18: The Level 1 Learner’s License

Michigan’s Graduated Driver Licensing program phases teens into full driving over time. The minimum age to start is 14 years and 9 months.⁶ Before you can apply for a Level 1 License, you must complete Segment 1 of a state-approved driver education course, which includes classroom instruction and behind-the-wheel training.¹

After passing Segment 1, you visit a Secretary of State office with your documents, take the knowledge and vision tests, and receive your Level 1 License. Unlike the adult paper permit, this comes as a hard card mailed to your address.

What You Can and Can’t Do at Level 1

You can drive only when a parent, legal guardian, or another adult age 21 or older designated by your parent or guardian sits in the front passenger seat. That supervisor must hold a valid Michigan driver’s license.⁷

Under Kelsey’s Law, cell phone use while driving is prohibited except in a genuine emergency.⁷

Practice Hours and Moving Forward

You need 50 hours of supervised driving, with at least 10 at night, before you can take the on-road skills test for a Level 2 Intermediate License.⁷ Keep a written log; you’ll need it. Two milestones sit along the way:

Segment 2 eligibility: after holding your Level 1 License at least three consecutive months and logging at least 30 supervised hours (with a minimum of 2 at night), you can enroll in Segment 2 of driver education.
Skills test eligibility: you must have held your Level 1 License at least six consecutive months and completed all 50 hours before you can schedule the road test.⁷

The six-month clock starts on the date your Level 1 License is issued. Start logging hours right away.

If You’re 18 or Older: The Temporary Instruction Permit

Adults who have never been licensed, or who haven’t held a license anywhere in the past four years, take a simpler path. Visit any Secretary of State branch, pass the knowledge and vision tests, present your documents, and pay a $25 fee.²⁸ You leave with a paper Temporary Instruction Permit the same day.

The TIP is valid for 180 days. During that window, you can practice on public roads with any validly licensed adult in the vehicle, whether a family member, friend, or coworker.² The TIP is not a license. Driving without a licensed adult in the car is illegal.

After at least 30 days of supervised practice, you can schedule the on-road skills test.² If your 180 days run out before you take the test, you’ll need to reapply and pay the fee again. The TIP does not authorize commercial driving or motorcycle operation.

What Happens at the Secretary of State Office

Schedule an appointment online before you go. Walk-ins are accepted, but appointment holders move through much faster.

A clerk will review your original documents, then send you to the vision screening and knowledge test. If you fail the knowledge test, you can typically retake it, though you may need to come back another day depending on office availability. Once everything is approved, you’ll pay the $25 fee. Adults get their paper TIP on the spot; teens leave with a temporary document while the Level 1 hard card is mailed.

Standard Card or Enhanced Driver’s License

When you apply, you’ll choose between a standard card and an Enhanced Driver’s License. Enhanced cards are automatically REAL ID-compliant and also work for land or sea border crossings between the U.S. and Canada. Michigan is one of five states that issue them.

Federal agencies began requiring REAL ID-compliant identification for purposes like boarding domestic flights and entering federal buildings on May 7, 2025, with a phased enforcement plan giving agencies until May 5, 2027, to reach full enforcement.⁹ If you expect to need REAL ID-compliant identification soon, choosing the enhanced option at your first visit saves a second trip.

Where the Permit Takes You Next

Both paths end at the same place: an on-road driving skills test given by a licensed third-party provider or at a Secretary of State office. For adults, the earliest test date is 30 days after receiving your TIP. For teens, the earliest is six months after receiving your Level 1 License, and only after finishing Segment 2 and logging all 50 hours.

Passing the skills test qualifies adults for a full operator’s license, and teens for a Level 2 Intermediate License. Level 2 carries its own nighttime and passenger restrictions that ease over time until you reach a full Level 3 license.

1
State of Michigan. First-Time License or ID
2
Department of State – Secretary of State. New Drivers (18 and Older)
3
State of Michigan. License and ID Document Requirements
4
State of Michigan. SOS-428: Driver’s License or ID Requirements
5
Social Security Administration. Social Security Numbers For Noncitizens
6
Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 257.310e
7
State of Michigan. New Drivers (Under 18)
8
Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 257.811
9
Federal Register. Minimum Standards for Drivers Licenses and Identification Cards Acceptable by Federal Agencies for Official Purposes; Phased Approach for Card-Based Enforcement