If your permit expires in California, yes, you have to retake the written knowledge test. The DMV does not renew an expired instruction permit. You submit a new application, pay the $46 fee again, pass the vision screening, and sit for the written exam a second time. Your previous passing score no longer counts once the permit lapses.
Why a New Application Is Required
Your instruction permit is tied to your application, and both are valid for 12 months from the date you applied. After that window closes, the permit is no longer valid for supervised driving and the knowledge test result attached to it expires with it. You cannot drive on an expired permit under any circumstances.
The DMV treats the reapplication exactly like a first-time application. New form, full fee, vision screening, written test. There is no abbreviated path and no discount for having held a permit before.
What Carries Over When You Reapply
Not everything resets. Two things you already earned still count.
If you are under 18 and your application expired before you completed the six-month holding period on your provisional permit, the DMV gives you cumulative credit for the time you already logged. Keep the expired permit and bring it along with the new one when you eventually take the behind-the-wheel driving test, so you can prove the total time held.
Driver training certificates also survive an expired permit. For minors, the driver education certificate stays valid until you turn 17½; after that age, California no longer requires driver education at all. Bring your original certificates to your reapplication appointment so the DMV can credit the completed training to your new permit.
Documents and Fee for the Second Application
Complete a new California Driver’s License or ID Card Application online before your DMV visit, and gather:
- Proof of identity, such as an original or certified U.S. birth certificate or a valid U.S. passport.
- Proof of California residency (one document for a federal non-compliant card, two for a REAL ID).
- Your Social Security number.
- If you are under 18, a Certificate of Completion or Enrollment from an approved driver education program, plus a parent or guardian signature on the application.
Applicants 18 and older do not need a driver education certificate or a parent’s signature. At the counter you will pay the nonrefundable $46 application fee, complete the vision screening, and have your photo and thumbprint taken.
Retaking the Written Knowledge Test
The written test covers rules of the road, traffic signs, and safe driving practices drawn from the California Driver Handbook. You need at least 80% to pass. The DMV will not start the test within 30 minutes of closing, so schedule your appointment with time to spare.
You get three attempts within your new 12-month application window. Fail all three and the application becomes invalid; you then have to submit yet another application and pay the $46 fee again before you can test a fourth time. Studying the handbook before you go is the difference between one fee and two.
REAL ID at the Reapplication
Since May 7, 2025, federal agencies have begun enforcing REAL ID requirements for boarding domestic flights and entering certain federal facilities. When you reapply, you can choose a REAL ID-compliant card or a federal non-compliant card. The REAL ID option asks for two California residency documents instead of one; the rest of the process is the same. If you already carry a valid U.S. passport, the distinction matters less at the airport, since TSA accepts a passport either way.