Maryland Learner’s Instructional Permit Requirements

Maryland learner’s permit requirements start before you ever set foot in an MVA office: you must be at least 15 years and 9 months old, have finished a certified driver education program, and bring a specific set of identity, Social Security, and Maryland residency documents to a full-service MVA branch, where you’ll take a vision screening and a 25-question knowledge test and pay a $65 fee.¹

Finish Driver Education First

Every new Maryland driver, regardless of age, has to complete a certified Driver Education Program before applying. The program is 30 hours of classroom instruction plus 6 hours of behind-the-wheel training with an instructor.² Your driving school sends completion records to the MVA electronically, so you don’t need a paper certificate at your appointment.³

Documents You Need at the MVA

Maryland issues REAL ID-compliant permits, so you need to satisfy four document categories the MVA calls the “REAL ID Core Four”:⁴

Proof of age and identity (one document): a U.S. birth certificate (original or certified copy) or a valid U.S. passport.
Proof of Social Security (one document): your original Social Security card, a W-2 showing your full SSN, or an SSA-1099.
Proof of Maryland residential address (two documents): examples include a Maryland vehicle registration, a utility bill, or a bank statement showing your Maryland address.

Applicants under 16 who use the MVA’s Verification of Identity form (DL-300A) need a parent or guardian to co-sign it.¹ Any applicant under 18 also needs a parent, legal guardian, or responsible adult to sign the license application giving consent for the minor to drive. That co-signer is notified of any moving-violation citation and can withdraw consent at any time before the driver turns 18. Withdrawing consent suspends the permit, and the suspension goes on the minor’s driving record.⁵

The application itself is handled in person at any full-service MVA office. You can complete the pre-application and book an appointment through the myMVA portal to cut down time at the counter.

Fee and How Long the Permit Lasts

The permit fee is $65. That single payment covers the permit, your initial driver’s license if you pass the skills test before the permit expires, and the later conversion from a provisional license to a full license.⁶ The permit is valid for two years from the date of issue.⁷ If it expires before you pass the skills test, you start over: another vision screening, another knowledge test, another $65.¹

The Vision Screening and Knowledge Test

At your appointment you’ll take a vision screening and a written knowledge test. The knowledge test for a standard Class C license has 25 multiple-choice questions, and a passing score is 85%.⁸ Questions cover Maryland traffic laws, road signs, and safe driving practices, all pulled from the Maryland Driver’s Manual. Reading that manual is the most reliable preparation.

Rules You Have to Follow While Driving

Every time you drive on a permit, a qualified supervising driver must be seated beside you in the front passenger seat, with no other front-seat occupants. The supervising driver has to be at least 21 and have held a valid license for at least three years.¹ There’s no exception. Day or night, every trip requires a supervisor.

Permit holders under 18 cannot use any wireless communication device while driving. That includes hands-free systems, not just handheld phones.⁹ The rule is stricter than the one for adult drivers, who may use hands-free devices.

Drivers under 21 are also under a zero-tolerance alcohol rule. Your permit automatically carries an “Under 21 Alcohol Restriction,” which prohibits operating a vehicle with any measurable amount of alcohol in your blood.¹⁰ The 0.08% adult limit does not apply. Any detectable alcohol triggers consequences, and a conviction for driving while impaired by alcohol brings a one-year suspension.

Holding Period and Supervised Driving Hours

How long you keep the permit before you can take the skills test, and how many practice hours you need to log, depends on your age:⁷

Under 18 without a high school diploma or equivalent: 9-month holding period; 60 supervised hours, including 10 at night.
18 with a high school diploma or equivalent: 3-month holding period; 14 supervised hours, including 3 at night.
Ages 19 to 24: 3-month holding period.
25 and older: 45-day holding period.

Night driving means the period from half an hour before sunset to half an hour after sunrise, not a fixed clock time.⁷ A parent, guardian, or mentor logs each practice hour in the Rookie Driver Practice Guide that the MVA hands out with every permit. You’ll present the completed certification page when you show up for your skills test.¹

What Happens If You Break a Permit Rule

If the MVA receives evidence that an under-18 driver used a wireless communication device, it can suspend the permit for up to 90 days. During that suspension, the MVA may issue a restricted license limited to employment, school, and commuting purposes.⁹

Violating any restriction on your permit, such as driving without a qualified supervising driver, brings a minimum six-month suspension if you waive your hearing rights or fail to respond within the 15-day notice period. Multiple restriction violations produce consecutive suspensions rather than concurrent ones.¹¹

A moving-violation conviction, or a probation before judgment, resets your clock in another way. From the date of conviction, you must hold the permit for at least nine more months before you’re eligible for the skills test, on top of every other requirement.¹

Driving Out of State on a Maryland Permit

A Maryland learner’s permit isn’t automatically recognized elsewhere. The MVA’s own practice guide advises checking with the motor vehicle administration of any state you plan to drive in before the trip; some states do not accept out-of-state learner’s permits at all, which means you can’t legally drive there even with a qualified supervisor in the passenger seat.¹² Verify before you cross the state line, particularly for trips into neighboring states or D.C.

1
Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA). Rookie Driver – Learner’s Permit
2
Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA). Driver Education
3
Maryland MVA. Certified Driver Education Schools
4
Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA). REAL ID Special Instructions
5
Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA). Withdrawal of Parental Consent for a Minor Child to Drive
6
Maryland COMAR. COMAR 11.11.05.03 – Driver’s License and Identification Card Fees
7
Maryland MVA. DL-060 Maryland Graduated Driver Licensing System Brochure
8
Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA). Knowledge Special Instructions
9
Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Transportation Title 21 Subtitle 11 – Section 21-1124
10
Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA). Maryland Impaired Driving Laws
11
Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA). Driving Restriction – Violation of a Restriction
12
Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA). Rookie Driver – New Driver and Coach Practice Guide