How to Get a Georgia Motorcycle Permit: Tests, Fee, and Limits

To get a Georgia motorcycle permit, visit any Georgia Department of Driver Services Customer Service Center once you’re at least 17 (or 16 with a completed driver education course), bring your identity, Social Security, and residency documents, pass a vision screening and a 20-question knowledge exam, and pay the $10 fee.¹ The Class MP permit is valid for six months and can be renewed once.²

Who Can Apply

Georgia law sets the baseline age for a motorcycle instruction permit at 17. If you’re 17 or older and a Georgia resident, you can apply after passing the required exams. A 16-year-old can apply only after completing a driver education training course.³ Turning 16 by itself doesn’t qualify you the way it does for a regular Class C learner’s permit.

Applicants under 18 need to bring an Alcohol and Drug Awareness Program (ADAP or eADAP) certificate of completion, and a parent or guardian must sign the application.¹ You don’t need to already hold a Class C car license to get a motorcycle permit.

Documents to Bring

Georgia follows the federal Secure ID standard, so documentation is strict.⁴ Gather everything before your visit. A missing document means another trip.

One identity document: a certified birth certificate, valid U.S. passport, or permanent resident card.
One Social Security document: your physical Social Security card is simplest. If your number doesn’t verify through the DDS system, a W-2 or 1099 showing your name and full SSN works as backup.⁴
Two Georgia residency documents: a lease, mortgage statement, or utility bill dated within the last six months. Both must show your name and residential street address.

Before your visit, fill out the online License/ID/Permit Form on the DDS website. This pre-application captures your legal name, address, and basic medical information in advance and shortens your time at the counter.

At the DDS Office: Tests, Fee, and What You Leave With

Staff will verify your pre-submitted form against your physical documents, then put you through the vision and knowledge tests on-site.

Vision Screening

You need at least 20/60 acuity in one eye (with or without corrective lenses) and a horizontal field of vision of at least 140 degrees.⁵ If you wear glasses or contacts, bring them. A restriction code will appear on your permit requiring you to wear them while riding.

Motorcycle Knowledge Exam

The written test is 20 multiple-choice questions drawn from the Georgia Motorcycle Operator’s Manual, covering lane positioning, hazard avoidance, and handling techniques specific to two-wheeled vehicles. You need at least 15 correct answers (75%) to pass. The questions focus on situations car drivers rarely think about, like gravel in a turn, wind blasts from trucks, and braking on curves, so read the manual cover to cover even if you have riding experience.

Your knowledge test score stays valid for one year. If you don’t pass the on-cycle skills test within that window, you’ll have to retake the written exam.²

Fee and Permit

After you pass both tests, staff take your photo and collect the $10 fee. DDS accepts cash, credit and debit cards, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. You leave with a temporary paper permit that day, and the permanent card arrives by mail within a few weeks. The permit lasts six months and can be renewed once, giving you a maximum of twelve months on a permit before you must pass the skills test for a full Class M license or start the process over.²

What You Can and Can’t Do on the Permit

A Class MP permit comes with limits written directly into the statute. While riding on your permit, you cannot:³

Carry passengers. You ride solo at all times.
Ride at night. Daylight hours only.
Use limited-access highways. Interstates and expressways are off-limits; stick to surface streets.

Riding outside those restrictions exposes you to a traffic citation, and an officer can impound your motorcycle on the spot. Treat the limits as hard rules, not suggestions.

Separately, Georgia requires every motorcycle rider, permit holder or fully licensed, to wear a DOT-approved helmet. If your motorcycle doesn’t have a windshield, you must also wear approved eye protection.⁶ A compliant helmet meets Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 218 and carries a DOT certification sticker. Novelty helmets don’t qualify. Violating the helmet or eyewear requirement adds three points to your driving record.⁷

Insurance You Need Before Riding

Georgia law requires liability insurance on every motorcycle before it can be operated on public roads, and that includes permit holders.⁸ The minimum coverage amounts are:

$25,000 for bodily injury to one person
$50,000 for bodily injury to two or more people in a single accident
$25,000 for property damage⁹

You must carry proof of insurance when you ride. Failing to produce it during a traffic stop carries a fine of up to $25.⁸

Moving from the Permit to a Class M License

The permit is a stepping stone. Georgia offers two paths to the full Class M motorcycle license.¹⁰

The faster route is a Georgia-approved Motorcycle Safety Program course, which provides hands-on instruction on school-provided motorcycles. Passing earns you a 90-day Motorcycle License Test Waiver that lets you skip both the knowledge test and the on-cycle skills test at the DDS office. You bring the waiver to a Customer Service Center, pay the license fee, and walk out with a Class M license. Many insurers also offer premium discounts for completing a recognized safety course.

The alternative is to schedule the Rider Skills Test at a DDS Customer Service Center. You must bring your own street-legal motorcycle along with its registration, proof of insurance, and a DOT-approved helmet. The test consists of four riding evaluations scored on time, distance, and path accuracy, and the examiner can end it early for point accumulation, unsafe actions, or failure to follow instructions.¹¹

Keep both clocks in mind: your knowledge exam score expires after one year, and the permit itself lasts six months with one renewal. If both deadlines pass without a successful skills test, you start from scratch with a new application, new knowledge exam, and new fee.²

1
Georgia Department of Driver Services. How Do I Get a Motorcycle Permit (Class MP)
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Georgia Department of Driver Services. Fees and Terms
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Justia. Georgia Code 40-5-24 – Instruction Permits, Graduated Licensing and Related Restrictions, Temporary Licenses
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Georgia Department of Driver Services. Georgia REAL ID Information
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Georgia Department of Driver Services. Medical and Vision Information
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Justia. Georgia Code 40-6-315 – Headgear and Eye-Protective Devices for Riders
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Georgia Department of Driver Services. Points Schedule
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Justia. Georgia Code 40-6-11 – Insurance Requirements
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FindLaw. Georgia Code Title 33 Insurance 33-7-11
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Georgia Department of Driver Services. Get Your Georgia Motorcycle License
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Georgia Department of Driver Services. Class M Motorcycle License