To get a Minnesota driver’s license, you choose a license type, gather identity and residency documents, pass a written knowledge test to earn an instruction permit, practice for a required waiting period, and then pass a road skills test at a Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS) office. Adults 19 and older can finish in as little as three months. Teens under 18 move through a graduated program that takes well over a year.
Your first decision is which license to apply for, because that determines the documents you need to bring.
Pick Your License Type First
Minnesota issues three versions of its Class D license. As of May 7, 2025, a standard Minnesota license can no longer be used to board a domestic flight or enter federal facilities like military bases and secure government buildings. If you have a passport for flying and only need to drive, the standard version is fine.
A REAL ID-compliant license meets the federal security standards set by the REAL ID Act and works for domestic air travel and federal facility access. An Enhanced license does everything a REAL ID does and also lets you cross the U.S. border by land or sea into Canada, Mexico, and Bermuda without a passport. The Enhanced version costs more and requires proof of U.S. citizenship.
Base statutory fees run $27.75 for a standard or REAL ID Class D and $42.75 for an Enhanced Class D. Technology surcharges and deputy registrar service fees bring your actual counter total to roughly $46 for standard or REAL ID and around $61 for Enhanced.
Documents to Bring
If you already hold a valid Minnesota license, permit, or photo ID card (or one that expired within the last five years), you can use it as proof of identity. Everyone else brings a combination of primary and secondary documents.
For a REAL ID-compliant license you need, at minimum:
- One identity document showing your full legal name, date of birth, and lawful U.S. presence. A certified U.S. birth certificate, valid U.S. passport, certificate of naturalization, or permanent resident card all qualify.
- Your Social Security number. You may need your original Social Security card or a W-2 if the number cannot be verified electronically.
- Two documents proving your current Minnesota address, such as utility bills, bank statements, or a lease.
An Enhanced license requires everything above plus proof of U.S. citizenship, which narrows the identity document to a U.S. birth certificate, U.S. passport, or naturalization certificate. A standard license uses the simplest set but still requires identity and residency proof.
Applicants under 18 need a parent or guardian to approve the application, verify age, sign the paperwork, and later certify completed supervised driving hours.
Pass the Knowledge Test and Get a Permit
Before you can drive legally, you have to pass a computerized knowledge test on traffic laws, road signs, and safe driving. The test is given at DVS exam stations, and you schedule an appointment through the DVS website. Most applicants report a passing score of 80 percent, which matches the standard used across most states, though DVS does not prominently publish the threshold.
Study the Minnesota Driver’s Manual. The test leans heavily on right-of-way rules, speed limits in school and construction zones, and the meaning of regulatory and warning signs. Sign recognition is where many people lose points. You can retake if you fail, but a $20 retake fee kicks in after your second attempt.
Once you pass, DVS issues an instruction permit that lets you practice on public roads with a licensed adult beside you. The permit is valid for two years. How long you must hold it before you can take the road test depends on your age:
- Age 15 to 17: permit available at 15 if you are enrolled in or have completed driver education. You must hold the permit for at least six months, and you cannot get a full (non-provisional) license until age 18 after completing a 12-month provisional period.
- Age 18: hold the permit for at least six months before the road test.
- Age 19 and older: hold the permit for at least three months.
While driving on a permit, carry it with you and always have a licensed adult in the passenger seat. There is no exception for a quick solo errand.
Driver Education and Practice Hours for Teens
If you are under 18, Minnesota requires a state-approved driver education program. The standard course covers 30 hours of classroom instruction plus behind-the-wheel training with a licensed instructor. The classroom portion earns you a blue card, which you need to take the permit test. Behind-the-wheel training earns a white card, which you need to take the road test. Hold on to both.
On top of the course, teens must log at least 50 hours of supervised driving with a parent or guardian, including 15 hours at night. These hours are separate from behind-the-wheel time with your instructor, and a parent certifies them when signing off on road test eligibility. Examiners can tell quickly whether a driver has real seat time, so these hours matter.
Adult applicants are not required to complete driver education or log supervised practice hours.
Pass the Road Test
You bring your own vehicle to the road test, and it has to pass a basic safety check: working brake lights, turn signals, headlights, seat belts, and a securely closed trunk or hatch. You also need valid proof of insurance for that vehicle. The examiner inspects everything in the lot before the test begins. A failed equipment check means rescheduling.
During the test you drive real streets around the exam station. Expect parallel parking, parking on a hill, intersection turns, merging, lane changes, and responses to traffic signals and stop signs. The examiner looks at vehicle control, awareness of surrounding traffic, and whether you follow the law without being prompted. A moving violation or anything the examiner considers dangerous ends the test immediately.
Minnesota allows up to four road test attempts. After the second failure, each additional attempt costs $20. After any failure, you must complete at least six more hours of practice with a licensed instructor before trying again. Schedule any retake early, because wait times for road test appointments can stretch several weeks in busy periods.
Vision Screening, Final Fees, and Getting the Card
Every applicant takes a vision screening. The standard is visual acuity of 20/40 or better in at least one eye, with or without corrective lenses, and a horizontal visual field of at least 105 degrees. If you wear glasses or contacts, bring them. Passing with corrective lenses puts a restriction on your license requiring you to wear them while driving. If you cannot meet the standard at the counter, DVS may ask you to get an eye exam from a doctor and submit a vision report.
At the counter you pay your fees, have your photo taken, and receive a temporary paper license good for driving right away. The permanent card arrives by mail in about ten business days.
Base statutory fees are:
- Instruction permit: $11.25 (standard/REAL ID) or $26.25 (Enhanced)
- Provisional license (under 18): $14.25 (standard/REAL ID) or $29.25 (Enhanced)
- Class D license: $27.75 (standard/REAL ID) or $42.75 (Enhanced)
Deputy registrar offices and DVS exam stations add technology surcharges and service fees that typically bring each total $15 to $20 higher than the base amount. You pay at each stage: once for the permit, again for a provisional license if you are under 18, and again for the full license.
After the Road Test If You’re Under 18
Drivers under 18 do not jump straight to a full license. After passing the road test you get a provisional license and must hold it for at least 12 consecutive months without certain violations before upgrading.
For the first six months, you may carry only one passenger under age 20 unless a parent or guardian is with you. Immediate family members under 20 are exempt from the passenger cap. You may not drive between midnight and 5:00 a.m. unless you are going to or from work, to a school event with no school-provided transportation, or you have a licensed driver age 25 or older in the car.
For the second six months, the passenger cap rises to three passengers under age 20 under the same exemptions. The midnight-to-5:00-a.m. restriction stays in place with the same exceptions.
A crash-related moving violation, an alcohol or controlled substance offense, or more than one non-crash moving violation during the provisional period can block you from getting a full license until you turn 18. A provisional license revoked for an alcohol-related offense or a crash means losing driving privileges entirely until age 18.
If You Already Have an Out-of-State License
Transferring a valid license from another state or U.S. territory is a shorter path, but it is not automatic. You still have to pass Minnesota’s written knowledge test before going to a DVS office. Bring your current out-of-state license plus the identity, Social Security, and residency documents listed above for your chosen license type. The road test is generally waived when you surrender a valid out-of-state license, though DVS reserves the right to require it.
Minnesota checks the National Driver Register, a federal database that flags suspensions, revocations, and cancellations from other states. An unresolved suspension elsewhere stops Minnesota from issuing you a license until you clear it. You cannot escape a suspension by crossing state lines.
Transfer your license within 60 days of establishing Minnesota residency. Driving past that window on an out-of-state license puts you at risk of a citation for driving without a valid Minnesota license.