Indiana Learner’s Permit Requirements: Costs, Exams, and Supervision

To meet Indiana’s learner’s permit requirements, you must be at least 15 and enrolled in a BMV-approved driver education course, or 16 without one. You’ll pass a knowledge exam and vision screening at a BMV branch, bring documents that satisfy REAL ID rules, pay $9, and — if you’re under 18 — have a parent or qualifying adult sign a financial liability agreement.¹

Age and Driver Education

Fifteen is the earliest you can apply, and only if you’re enrolled in a BMV-approved behind-the-wheel training course. You’ll need a valid Certificate of Driver Education from your course provider to prove enrollment at the branch.¹ If you skip driver education, you have to wait until you turn 16, and then you can apply based on the exam and vision screening alone.

Approved driver education programs include both classroom instruction and behind-the-wheel training, covering traffic laws, defensive driving, and vehicle handling. Beyond letting you start a year earlier, completing one shortens the timeline to a full probationary license later.

School attendance is tied to your driving privileges if you’re under 18. Under IC 20-33-2-11, a school can notify the BMV that a student is a habitual truant, and the BMV can then invalidate or refuse to issue the permit.² Graduated students still qualify, but dropping out while under 18 puts your permit at risk.

What the Permit Costs

The learner’s permit fee is $9.00, per the BMV fee chart revised January 1, 2026. A replacement for a lost or damaged permit is also $9.00.³ Driver education tuition is separate and paid to the course provider, and it varies widely by school.

Documents to Bring to the BMV Branch

Indiana follows federal REAL ID standards, so bring originals or certified copies. You’ll need documents in four categories:

Identity and lawful status: One primary document such as a U.S. birth certificate (original or certified copy from a state vital statistics office) or a valid U.S. passport.
Social Security number: One document showing your full SSN — a Social Security card, W-2, SSA-1099, or a pay stub with your name and full number.
Indiana residency: Two printed documents proving Indiana residence. Utility bills, bank statements, pay stubs, and medical benefit statements are all acceptable, but utility and medical bills must be within 60 days of your visit.
Name change (if applicable): A marriage certificate, court order, or similar document if your legal name differs from your birth certificate.

If you’re under 18 and don’t have two residency documents in your own name, another adult can sign an Indiana Residency Affidavit (State Form 50879) for you at the branch. That person must bring their own valid Indiana driver’s license or ID, one identity document, and two residency documents.⁴

Non-citizens must provide proof of lawful presence. The BMV verifies immigration status through the federal SAVE system, which checks documents such as an Alien Registration number, I-94 arrival record, or SEVIS ID.⁵ A driver’s license number alone won’t satisfy SAVE — bring the original immigration documents.

The Knowledge Exam and Vision Screening

Knowledge Exam

The written test is multiple choice, split into a section on traffic maneuvers and a section on traffic sign identification. You need at least 80% on each section to pass.⁶ Questions come from the Indiana Driver’s Manual and cover right-of-way rules, speed limits, impaired driving, and road signs. The BMV publishes a free practice exam in the same format.⁷

Vision Screening

The screening checks whether you see well enough to drive safely, and results are applied on a sliding scale:

20/40 or better in both eyes: no restrictions.
20/40 in one eye, 20/50 or worse in the other: outside-mirror restriction, plus a corrective lens restriction if you tested with glasses or contacts.
20/50 in both eyes with correction: corrective lens restriction added.
Worse than 20/50 in either eye: the BMV screening form can’t be used. An optometrist or ophthalmologist must complete a Certificate of Vision (State Form 22106) to determine whether you can drive and under what restrictions.

If you wear glasses or contacts during the screening, a corrective lens restriction goes on your permit, and you must wear them every time you drive.⁸

Parental Financial Liability for Applicants Under 18

If you’re under 18, a parent, custodial guardian, or another qualifying adult must sign a financial liability agreement at the branch. Indiana law sets a preference order: custodial parent first, then noncustodial parent, then legal guardian, then any other adult willing to accept responsibility.⁹ Without this signature, the BMV won’t issue the permit.

The signer accepts joint responsibility for any injury or property damage you cause while driving, and that liability stays in place until you turn 18. The signer can also withdraw consent before then, which cancels the permit.⁹

Who Can Supervise You Once You Have the Permit

A learner’s permit holder must always have a qualified supervising driver in the front passenger seat. Who qualifies depends on your age and whether you’re in a driver education program, and this is where families most often get tripped up.

Under 16 and Enrolled in Driver Education

Inside the program, you can practice with a licensed driving instructor or a BMV-approved certified driver rehabilitation specialist in the front passenger seat. Outside of formal instruction, you can practice with a licensed driver who is at least 25 and related to you by blood, marriage, or legal status, or with a spouse who is at least 21 and licensed. A family friend or neighbor who is 25 and licensed does not qualify unless they are related to you.¹

Under 18 and Not Enrolled in Driver Education

The same family-relationship rule applies. Your supervising driver must be at least 25, hold a valid license (not expired, suspended, or revoked), and be related to you by blood, marriage, or legal status. A licensed driver training school instructor or BMV-approved rehabilitation specialist also qualifies. The supervising driver must sit in the front passenger seat.¹

Phones and Devices

Indiana prohibits holding or using a telecommunications device while operating a moving vehicle. It applies to every driver, but for a permit holder the consequences bite harder, because a violation can push back the date you qualify for a probationary license.

Logging Your Practice Hours

You’ll need 50 hours of supervised driving practice before you can apply for a probationary license, and at least 10 of those hours must be at night. Log every session on a Log of Supervised Driving Practice (State Form 54706), recording the date, daytime and nighttime minutes, and the supervising driver. A parent or guardian signs the completed log certifying the hours, and you present it at the BMV branch when you apply for the probationary license.¹⁰

Start logging from day one. Reconstructing hours from memory later tends to produce incomplete or inconsistent logs, and the BMV can refuse the application if the form doesn’t add up.

What Can Block or Delay a Permit

Several things can prevent issuance or delay eligibility:

Prior driving offenses. A history of suspensions or revocations, particularly for reckless driving or operating while intoxicated, can trigger additional requirements before the BMV will issue a permit.
Medical conditions. Conditions that impair safe driving, such as uncontrolled seizure disorders or severe vision loss, may require a physician’s clearance. The BMV can request medical documentation and impose restrictions or deny the application.
Outstanding legal matters. Unpaid traffic fines or unresolved court obligations can block issuance. Clear these before applying.
Immigration status. Non-citizens who can’t establish lawful presence through the SAVE verification process will be denied.

Habitual truancy, covered earlier, belongs on this list as well: if a school reports it, the BMV can refuse to issue or invalidate the permit under IC 20-33-2-11.²

1
Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Learner’s Permit
2
Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 20-33-2-11 – Driver’s License or Learner’s Permit
3
Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles. BMV Fee Chart
4
Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Real ID Overview
5
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Verification Process
6
Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Knowledge Exam
7
Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles. BMV Practice Knowledge Exam
8
Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Vision Screening
9
Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Agreement of Financial Liability
10
Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Log of Supervised Driving Practice