How to Get a Learner’s Permit in Maryland: Documents, Test, and Fee

To get a learner’s permit in Maryland, you must be at least 15 years and 9 months old, bring proof of identity, Social Security number, and Maryland residency to a scheduled MVA appointment, pass a vision screening and a computerized knowledge test, and pay a $65 fee.¹ Applicants under 18 need a parent or legal guardian to co-sign in person, and applicants under 16 need a school attendance form as well.²

Age and Who Has to Sign

The minimum age is 15 years and 9 months.¹ There’s no maximum. If you’re under 18, a parent or legal guardian has to co-sign the application and be physically present at the MVA when you apply.² The co-signer accepts legal responsibility for your driving, so it isn’t a formality.

Applicants under 16 have to clear an extra step. You need a completed school attendance verification form (DL-300) from your school or your county’s home school coordinator, delivered to the MVA in a sealed, unopened envelope.² The MVA will reject the application if the record shows more than 10 unexcused absences in the prior semester.³

Documents to Bring

The MVA checks three categories. Bring originals or certified copies. Photocopies and anything altered will be turned away.²

Proof of identity: an original or certified U.S. birth certificate, a valid and unexpired U.S. passport, or another document from the MVA’s accepted list.
Proof of Social Security number: your original Social Security card, or a W-2 or SSA-1099 showing the full number.
Proof of Maryland residency: two documents from separate sources, each showing your name and a Maryland address. Utility bills, vehicle registration cards, insurance cards, bank statements, and government mail all qualify.

If you’re under 18, the co-signing parent or guardian also needs to bring proof of the relationship. A birth certificate that lists them as a parent is the usual option.² The MVA’s FO-150A checklist lists every accepted document. Run through it at home before you go; showing up short a document is the most common reason people have to make a second trip.

Book an MVA Appointment

Learner’s permit applications are handled at full-service MVA branch offices by appointment. Schedule one through the MVA’s online myMVA portal. Walk-ins are generally not served.

At the appointment, the MVA verifies your documents, then sends you through the vision screening and the knowledge test. Clear both, pay the fee, and you leave with the permit in hand.

The Knowledge Test and Vision Screening

The knowledge test is multiple choice on a computer and covers Maryland traffic laws, road signs, and safe driving practices. The passing threshold is around 85 percent, so casual review isn’t enough. Your main study resource is the official Maryland Driver’s Manual, free on the MVA website, which also hosts practice tests and an interactive tutorial.⁴

The vision screening is a simple eye chart. Wear your glasses or contacts if you use them, and expect that correction to be noted on your permit.

If you fail the knowledge test on your first try, you can retake it the next business day if an appointment is open. After two or more failures, you have to wait at least seven calendar days before trying again.⁴

The Fee

The permit fee is $65. That single payment covers the learner’s permit itself, the eventual issuance of your initial driver’s license, and the later conversion from a provisional license to a full license.⁵ You won’t be billed again when you upgrade licenses later.

Rules Once You Have the Permit

A learner’s permit isn’t a license, and the conditions are strict. Every time you drive, a qualified supervising driver has to sit in the front passenger seat next to you. That supervisor must be at least 21 years old and have held a valid driver’s license for at least three years. No one else is allowed in the front seat while you drive.³

Permit holders under 18 cannot use any wireless communication device while driving, including hands-free options. The only exception is calling 911 in an emergency.¹

Violations matter more than they might seem. If you’re convicted of a moving violation, or granted probation before judgment for one, while holding the permit, your mandatory holding period restarts from the date of that conviction or PBJ.³ This applies at every age, not only to minors. One speeding ticket can push your license date back months.

What You’ll Need to Do Before Testing for a License

The permit is the starting point of Maryland’s Graduated Licensing System, not the end of it.⁶ Before you can take the road skills test for a provisional license, three things have to happen: an MVA-approved driver education course, a set number of supervised practice hours, and a minimum holding period on the permit.

Driver education is 30 hours of classroom instruction plus 6 hours of behind-the-wheel training with a certified instructor. It applies at every age, including drivers 25 and older.⁷ The MVA maintains a list of certified schools on its website, and some public high schools offer the course free or at reduced cost.

Supervised practice hours run alongside driver education and are logged on the MVA’s practice skills log. Drivers under 18 need 60 hours, including 10 at night. Drivers 18 and older need 14 hours, including 3 at night.⁸ The supervising driver has to sign the log, and the MVA can reject your license application if the numbers don’t add up.

Finally, the permit itself has to be held for a minimum period before you can test: 9 months if you’re under 19, 3 months if you’re 18 with a high school diploma or between 19 and 24, and 45 days if you’re 25 or older.⁸ Plan the calendar backward from the license date you want, and remember that any moving violation on the permit resets the clock.

1
Maryland OneStop. Non-Commercial Learner’s Permit
2
Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration. How to Get Your Learner’s Permit in Maryland
3
Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Transportation 16-105 – Learner’s Instructional Permit
4
Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration. Driver Licensing – Knowledge Testing
5
Code of Maryland Regulations. COMAR 11.11.05.03 – Driver’s License and Identification Card Fees
6
Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration. Maryland Graduated Driver Licensing System
7
Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration. Certified Driver Education Schools
8
Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration. Learner’s Permit