How to Get a Passenger Endorsement in Nevada

To get a passenger endorsement in Nevada, you add the “P” code to an existing Nevada CDL or Commercial Learner’s Permit by completing FMCSA-approved Entry-Level Driver Training, submitting a current federal medical certificate, and passing a written knowledge test plus a behind-the-wheel skills test at a Nevada CDL office. In practice you need to be 21, because Nevada restricts CDL holders aged 18 to 20 from carrying passengers.¹

When You Need the P Endorsement

The P endorsement is required to drive any commercial motor vehicle built to carry 16 or more occupants, counting the driver.² That covers full-size transit buses, charter coaches, hotel shuttles, and airport transport. Passenger vans seating 15 or fewer generally do not require a CDL at all, though an employer may still want the endorsement.

One boundary to be aware of: driving a school bus requires the P endorsement and a separate school bus (S) endorsement. Nevada follows the federal rule that the S cannot be issued without the P already on the license, so school bus drivers earn the passenger endorsement first and add the school bus qualification afterward.

Eligibility

Age and Existing Credential

You have to hold a valid Nevada CDL or Commercial Learner’s Permit before you can add the P endorsement.³ Nevada does issue CDLs to drivers as young as 18 for intrastate work, but those licenses carry Restriction R (no passengers, no hazardous materials) and Restriction K (intrastate only), which means the P is off the table until 21.¹ At 21 you can also cross state lines in interstate commerce.⁴

Self-Certification Category

Your application makes you pick one of four self-certification categories, and the choice controls whether the DMV needs your federal medical certificate on file.⁵ Most passenger endorsement applicants fall into one of these two:

Non-Excepted Interstate, if you drive or plan to drive across state lines in general commercial service. A current medical examiner’s certificate is required.
Non-Excepted Intrastate, if you drive only within Nevada. You still have to meet the state’s medical certification requirements.

Two “excepted” categories exist for narrow situations like certain government or emergency transport, but charter, transit, and shuttle drivers almost always land in a non-excepted category and need a medical certificate on file.⁶

Get Your DOT Medical Certificate

The medical examiner’s certificate is Form MCSA-5876, issued after a physical exam by a provider on FMCSA’s National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners.⁷ The exam applies specific pass-or-fail thresholds for vision, hearing, blood pressure, and other conditions under 49 CFR 391.41. Corrective lenses and hearing aids are permitted, and if you rely on them the certificate and your CDL will note that.⁸

Certificates are typically valid up to two years, or shorter if the examiner wants to monitor a condition. Keep your status current in Nevada’s system. If your certificate lapses, the DMV can downgrade your commercial privileges until you submit a new one.

Complete Entry-Level Driver Training

Since February 2022, anyone adding a passenger endorsement for the first time must finish Entry-Level Driver Training through an FMCSA-approved provider before taking the skills test.⁹ Drivers who already held a P endorsement before that date are grandfathered in.

ELDT for the P endorsement has two components: theory and behind-the-wheel. Federal rules do not set minimum hours; instead, the provider must cover every required topic and confirm you are proficient before signing off. Theory instruction covers post-crash and emergency procedures, passenger management, ADA compliance, hours-of-service, railroad crossing safety, and distracted driving. Behind-the-wheel work covers vehicle orientation, pre-trip and post-trip inspections, passenger loading and briefings, and railroad crossing procedures.¹⁰

You need to score at least 80 percent on the theory assessment. Your provider then submits your certification to FMCSA through the Training Provider Registry within two business days.¹¹ The Nevada DMV pulls that record from the federal database before letting you test. Approved providers can be searched at tpr.fmcsa.dot.gov.

Pass the Knowledge and Skills Tests

Written Knowledge Test

The written test focuses on the safety issues specific to carrying passengers: loading and unloading, emergency exits, stopping at railroad crossings, dealing with disruptive passengers, and the weight distribution challenges of a busload of people shifting around. The Nevada CDL handbook covers these topics in detail and is the best study resource.⁴

Skills Test

You take the skills test in a vehicle that matches the passenger class you intend to drive. If this is your first CDL, or you are adding an endorsement that requires a skills test, you have to hold a Commercial Learner’s Permit for at least 14 days before testing.¹ During that window you can practice with a qualified CDL holder riding in the front seat.

The road test evaluates your ability to handle real traffic while keeping passengers safe. It opens with a thorough pre-trip inspection where you walk around and through the vehicle identifying components and explaining what you are checking for. The examiner then watches how you manage turns, lane changes, backing, and general vehicle control at the dimensions and weight of a passenger bus. Testing in a vehicle with air-over-hydraulic brakes rather than full air brakes will place a matching restriction on your license.

What to Bring to the DMV

You have to apply in person at a Nevada CDL office, and not every DMV location handles commercial licensing, so check the CDL offices page at dmv.nv.gov before you go.¹² Gather everything before the visit:

Application for Commercial Driving Privileges (CDL-002), where you select the P endorsement and your self-certification category. It is available in English, Spanish, or Tagalog on the Nevada DMV site.³
Your current Medical Examiner’s Certificate (Form MCSA-5876) from an FMCSA-registered examiner.⁷
Identity documents, if you need a Real ID-compliant license or haven’t yet provided Real ID documents. That means one proof of identity such as a birth certificate or valid U.S. passport, one document showing your Social Security number, and two documents proving Nevada residency such as utility bills or a lease. You only present these once. If your Nevada license is already Real ID-compliant, skip this step.¹³¹⁴

Double-check every field on the CDL-002 before you arrive. Incomplete applications are the most common reason for wasted trips.

Fees

Nevada charges $14 to add an endorsement to an existing CDL, plus a $3.50 photo fee. The driving skills test adds $30. A written knowledge test on its own does not carry a separate listed fee beyond the endorsement charge.¹² If you are applying for a CDL for the first time and need both knowledge and skills tests, the combined fee is $141.50.

At the Counter and After

At your appointment, the technician reviews your application package, verifies your medical certificate, and confirms your ELDT completion in the federal database. You also do a vision screening at the counter. Once everything checks out and you pass your tests, you receive a temporary paper permit that serves as legal proof of your new endorsement while the physical card is produced. The permanent CDL with the P endorsement printed on it is mailed to your home, typically within about 10 business days.⁴

Keeping the Endorsement Once You Have It

The passenger endorsement renews with your CDL, so there is no separate renewal process for the endorsement itself. The most common way drivers quietly lose it is letting the medical certificate expire. Nevada’s system flags a lapse and can downgrade the CDL to a standard license until a new certificate is submitted. Set a calendar reminder at least 60 days before your medical certificate expires to schedule a new exam.

Passenger-carrying drivers also face stricter consequences for major driving offenses. Federal regulations under 49 CFR 383.51 disqualify a CDL for a year on a first conviction for offenses like DUI in a commercial vehicle (at 0.04 BAC or above), refusing a breath or blood test, leaving the scene of an accident, or driving on a suspended CDL, with longer disqualifications for repeat or hazmat-related offenses.¹⁵ Violating an out-of-service order in a vehicle designed for 16 or more passengers brings a two-year disqualification on the first offense. Losing the underlying CDL takes the P endorsement with it.

1
Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles. Commercial Learner Permits
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Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles. CDL Self Certification and License Classes
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Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles. Commercial Driver Licensing
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Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles. Nevada Commercial Driver License Information
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Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles. CDL-002E Application for Commercial Driving Privileges
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Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. How Do I Determine Which of the 4 Categories of Commercial Motor Vehicle Operation I Should Self-Certify To
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Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Medical Examiners Certificate MCSA-5876
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eCFR. 49 CFR 391.41 Physical Qualifications for Drivers
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Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Entry-Level Driver Training ELDT
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FMCSA Training Provider Registry. ELDT Curricula Summary
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FMCSA Training Provider Registry. Training Provider Registry
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Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles. Nevada DMV CDL Offices and Fees
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Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles. Nevada Real ID
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Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles. Proof of Identity and Residency
15
eCFR. 49 CFR 383.51 Disqualification of Drivers