Minnesota Driver’s License: Formats, Tests, and Renewal

Getting a Minnesota driver’s license means applying in person at a deputy registrar office, proving who you are and where you live, passing a vision screening, a 40-question written test, and a road test, and paying somewhere between $41 and $46 in total fees for a standard Class D license. The Department of Public Safety’s Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS) issues the license, which is good for four years before you need to renew.¹ Teens follow a graduated process that starts with a permit at 15.

A Class D license covers everyday driving: cars, SUVs, pickups, and smaller RVs. Classes A, B, and C are commercial licenses for larger vehicles and have their own federal requirements layered on top of the state process.² Most of what follows is about the Class D.

Pick Your Format First: Standard, REAL ID, or Enhanced

Before you walk into a DVS office, decide which of the three card formats you want, because each one needs different documents.

A standard license works for driving and basic state ID. It will not get you through a TSA checkpoint for a domestic flight or into a federal building.

A REAL ID meets federal security standards. Enforcement is fully in effect as of May 7, 2025, so if you plan to fly domestically and do not carry a passport, this is the format you want.³

An Enhanced Driver’s License (EDL) does everything a REAL ID does and also serves as proof of U.S. citizenship for re-entering the country by land or sea from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, or the Caribbean. You must be a U.S. citizen and at least 16 to apply.

If you already carry a valid U.S. passport, a standard license is still fine for flying; the passport covers the federal ID requirement.

What to Bring to the Office

Every applicant provides a Social Security number, which DVS verifies electronically. Beyond that, the paperwork depends on your format.

For a standard or REAL ID, bring proof of identity and legal presence: a certified birth certificate, valid U.S. passport, certificate of naturalization, or an unexpired employment authorization document. A REAL ID also requires two separate documents proving your Minnesota address, each dated within the last 12 months, with your name and address matching your application exactly. Utility bills, bank statements, and insurance documents all qualify.⁴ If your current name differs from the one on your birth certificate, bring the marriage certificate or court order that links them.

For an EDL, bring everything a REAL ID requires plus proof of U.S. citizenship, which in practice means a certified birth certificate, a U.S. passport, or a certificate of naturalization. Verification is stricter because the card doubles as a border-crossing document.

What It Costs

Minnesota sets base fees by statute. A $2.25 surcharge gets added to every transaction, and the deputy registrar office tacks on its own filing fee, which varies by location.⁵ The base fees for the most common transactions:

Class D, standard or REAL ID: $27.75
Class D Enhanced: $42.75
Instruction permit, standard or REAL ID: $11.25
Instruction permit, enhanced: $26.25
Provisional license, standard or REAL ID: $14.25
Duplicate license: $12.75

Once the surcharge and filing fee are added, plan on about $45 for a first Class D REAL ID and around $60 for an EDL. DVS offices take cash, checks, and credit cards, though card payments may add a convenience fee.

The Three Tests

First-time applicants take all three. If you already hold a valid license from another state, you generally transfer it without retaking the written or road tests, but you still pass the vision screening and present all required documents.

Vision Screening

Done at the DVS office. Bring your glasses or contacts if you wear them. If you do not meet the minimum standard, DVS may send you to get a vision report from an eye doctor before you can continue.

Knowledge Test

The written exam is 40 multiple-choice questions on a computer at a DVS location, covering Minnesota traffic laws, road signs, and safe driving. You need 32 correct to pass, an 80 percent threshold. The questions come from the Minnesota Driver’s Manual, which DVS publishes online for free. Right-of-way rules and sign identification cause the most failures, so spend extra time on those.

Road Test

Appointments typically open 30 days ahead and fill fast. Book as soon as you qualify. You supply the vehicle, and it must be registered, insured, and in safe working order with functioning lights, signals, and brakes. The examiner rides along and scores vehicle control, signal use, lane changes, parallel parking, and yielding.

Your first two attempts at the written and road tests are included in the permit fee. A third or later written attempt costs $10 and a third or later road test costs $20.⁵

Rules for Drivers Under 18

Anyone under 18 goes through Minnesota’s graduated driver licensing program, which phases in privileges across two years.

Instruction Permit at 15

A 15-year-old can apply for an instruction permit after completing the classroom phase of an approved driver education program. Before the permit is issued, the teen passes the vision screening and the knowledge test, and a parent or guardian signs the application. The permit allows driving only with a licensed driver aged 21 or older in the front passenger seat. The teen holds the permit for at least six months and logs at least 50 hours of supervised driving, 15 of them at night.⁶

Provisional License at 16

After the six-month permit period and passing the road test, the teen receives a provisional license carrying two phases of restrictions:

First six months: no more than one passenger under 20 who is not an immediate family member, and no driving between midnight and 5:00 a.m. unless going to or from work, a school event, or employment duties, or accompanied by a driver at least 25.
Second six months: no more than three passengers under 20 who are not immediate family, and the nighttime rule lifts.

Throughout the full provisional period, the teen cannot use a cell phone while driving, even hands-free. Violating that rule is a petty misdemeanor. A conviction for impaired driving, a crash-related moving violation, or more than one non-crash moving violation during the provisional period blocks the upgrade to a full license until 12 consecutive clean months have passed or the driver turns 18, whichever comes first.

Adults Getting a First License

If you are 18 or older and have never been licensed, you apply for an instruction permit without the driver education requirement. You hold the permit for at least six months before the road test, or three months if you complete an approved behind-the-wheel course. The provisional restrictions on passengers and nighttime driving do not apply.

After You Pass

DVS prints a temporary paper license at the office. It is legally valid for driving, and you carry it when you drive, but it has no photo and does not work as photo ID for anything else. Your permanent card arrives in the mail, usually within a few weeks. If 60 days pass with nothing in the mailbox, contact DVS. When the card does arrive, check your name, date of birth, address, and license class carefully. Errors are easier to fix now than later.

Renewing Your License

A standard adult Class D license expires on your birthday in the fourth year after issuance. Under-21 licenses expire on the holder’s 21st birthday, and provisional licenses expire two years after the application date.¹ Active-duty military stationed outside Minnesota get an automatic extension lasting until one year after separation or discharge.

You can renew as early as nine months before expiration without losing time on the new cycle. Renewal normally means visiting a deputy registrar for a new photo, a vision screening, and the fee. If you cannot get to an office, DVS offers mail-in renewal with a notarized application, a vision report from an eye doctor, and a check or money order.⁷ Renewal is allowed up to one year after expiration, but driving during the gap is illegal.

Driving Without a Valid License

Driving after a suspension, cancellation, or revocation is a misdemeanor in Minnesota, carrying up to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.⁸ If your license was revoked and you were required to use an ignition interlock device, driving without one is a gross misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and $3,000 in fines. The same gross misdemeanor applies when the license was canceled over certain disqualifying conditions.

A conviction almost always extends the suspension. The court can impound your plates. Insurance companies treat these convictions harshly, and some cancel coverage outright. Reinstating involves fees, possibly retaking all three tests, and waiting out any additional time the court or DVS imposes.

If You Need a Commercial License

Classes A, B, and C are commercial licenses, with Class A covering tractor-trailers and the heaviest combinations.⁹ CDL applicants face federal medical certification requirements on top of the state process, more involved knowledge tests, and road tests performed in the actual vehicle class. Fees run higher as well: a Class A starts at $46.75 before the surcharge and filing fee.⁵ If you drive interstate, you must keep a current Medical Examiner’s Certificate on file with DVS, because letting it lapse automatically downgrades your commercial privileges.¹⁰

1
Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 171.27 – Expiration of License; Renewal
2
Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 171.02 – License; Types, Endorsements, Restrictions
3
Transportation Security Administration. TSA to Highlight REAL ID Enforcement Deadline of May 7, 2025
4
Minnesota Department of Public Safety. Minnesota Driver and Vehicle Services – REAL ID Document Requirements
5
Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 171.06 – Application for License, Permit, Identification Card; Fees
6
Minnesota Department of Public Safety. Graduated Driver’s License
7
Minnesota Department of Public Safety. Renew Your Driver’s License or ID Card by Mail
8
Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 171.24 – Driving After Suspension, Revocation, or Cancellation
9
Minnesota Department of Transportation. STS Driver’s License General Information
10
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Medical