A Missouri driver’s license is issued by the Department of Revenue after you pass a vision screening, a road sign test, a written knowledge exam, and an on-road skills test, then bring your identity and residency documents to a local license office and pay the fee for your class. For a standard Class F car license, that fee is $16.50 for a three-year term or $33 for a six-year term, depending on your age.
Which License Class You Need
Most drivers need a Class F, which covers personal cars, pickups, SUVs, and recreational vehicles.1Legal Information Institute. 12 CSR 10-24.200 – Driver License Classes Class E is for non-CDL commercial driving, Class M is for motorcycles, and Classes A, B, and C are the Commercial Driver License tiers for heavy vehicles like tractor-trailers, buses, and tankers.
REAL ID or Standard
Missouri issues two versions of every license. The REAL ID-compliant version carries a star in the corner and, since May 7, 2025, is what TSA requires to board a domestic flight or enter a federal building if you don’t have a passport.2Transportation Security Administration. REAL ID The standard version still works for driving and everyday ID but won’t get you through airport security on its own. Both cost the same. The REAL ID version just takes more paperwork at the counter.
Documents To Bring
For a REAL ID-compliant license, bring documents in four categories:
- Proof of identity and legal presence: an original or certified birth certificate, valid U.S. passport, or immigration document showing lawful status.
- Proof of your Social Security number: a Social Security card, W-2, or 1099.
- Two proofs of Missouri residency from two different source types, such as a utility bill, bank statement, voter registration card, property tax receipt, auto insurance card, or W-2. Government correspondence must be dated within the previous 30 days.3Missouri Department of Revenue. List of Acceptable Documents for REAL ID-Compliant Document Processing
- Name-change documents (marriage certificates, divorce decrees, court orders) if your current name doesn’t match your birth certificate. Any gap in the chain will stall the application.
A standard license still requires identity verification and residency proof, but the documentation list is somewhat shorter. The DOR publishes separate acceptable-document lists for each credential type, so pull the current one before you go.4Missouri Department of Revenue. Documents for Driver License, Nondriver ID, and Instruction Permit
Tests You’ll Take
The Missouri State Highway Patrol runs the testing, separate from the DOR offices that print the card.5Missouri State Highway Patrol. DE FAQs New applicants go through four steps.
The vision screening comes first. State law requires at least 20/40 acuity in one eye.6Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 302.175 – Vision Requirements If corrective lenses bring you to 20/40, you’ll get a license with a corrective-lens restriction. Vision between 20/41 and 20/74 with correction may qualify for a restricted license limited to daytime driving or reduced speeds, and anything worse than 20/160 with correction is a denial.7Missouri Department of Revenue. 12 CSR 10-24.090 Missouri Driver License or Permit Vision Test Guidelines
Next is the road sign test, where you identify signs by shape and color without reading the words. Then comes the written knowledge exam, with questions drawn directly from the Missouri Driver Guide. Finally, the on-road skills test: an examiner rides with you in live traffic and watches your vehicle control, signaling, following distance, backing, and parallel parking.
What It Costs
Fees depend on your class and the length of the credential:
- Class F instruction permit (age 15+): $10 for up to two years
- Intermediate license (age 16–17): $14 for up to two years
- Class F license (ages 18–20 or 70+): $16.50 for three years
- Class F license (ages 21–69): $33 for six years
- Class E (non-CDL commercial, ages 21–69): $48 for six years
- CDL (A, B, or C, ages 21–69): $58 for six years
Drivers age 75 and older with certain endorsements pay reduced rates.8Missouri Department of Revenue. Missouri Driver License and Nondriver License Most offices accept cash, checks, and debit cards.
What You Leave the Office With
After the clerk verifies your documents, takes your photo, and collects the fee, you walk out with a temporary paper document that is valid for 45 days.9Missouri Department of Revenue. FAQs – New Missouri Driver Licenses and Nondriver Identification Cards If you had an old card, it comes back to you with a “VOID” punch. The permanent plastic card is printed at a central facility and mailed to your residential address, which cuts down on fraud. Most cards arrive well before the paper expires.
Renewing Your License
Your Missouri license expires on your birthday. How long the next one lasts depends on your age:
- Ages 16–17 (intermediate): up to two years
- Ages 18–20: three years
- Ages 21–69: six years
- Age 70 and older: three years
You can renew up to six months before your expiration date or within 184 days after it. The DOR mails a reminder postcard, but renewing on time is on you whether or not it arrives.8Missouri Department of Revenue. Missouri Driver License and Nondriver License
Online Renewal Eligibility
The MyDMV portal lets some drivers renew without going to an office, but the rules are narrow. You qualify only if you are between ages 21 and 49, have U.S. citizenship verification on file, completed a vision exam within the last 12 months, and did your most recent application in person. Only one online renewal is allowed between in-person visits, and your driving record must be clear of disqualifying entries.10Missouri Department of Revenue. Motor Vehicle/Driver License System Changes Everyone outside those limits renews at the counter.
Lost, Stolen, or Damaged Cards
Replace a lost or damaged license at any license office with proof of identity and residency. A Class F duplicate runs $16.50 for a three-year license or $25.50 for a six-year license, and instruction permit or intermediate duplicates cost $10 to $14.8Missouri Department of Revenue. Missouri Driver License and Nondriver License If your address or name has also changed, update them in the same visit.
Moving to Missouri From Another State
If you move here with a valid out-of-state license, apply for a Missouri license as soon as you establish residency. There is no grace period for standard license holders. CDL holders have 30 days.11Missouri Department of Revenue. General Questions About Driver Licensing Bring your current license, proof of identity, Social Security verification, and two Missouri residency documents. Missouri generally waives the written and road tests for drivers transferring a valid license from another U.S. state, but you still take the vision screening and pay the standard fee for your age and class.
Teen Drivers and the Graduated License
Teens enter the system through Missouri’s Graduated Driver License program. An instruction permit is available at age 15, and the permit holder must always drive with a licensed adult age 21 or older in the front seat.12Missouri Department of Revenue. Graduated Driver License Law Details At 16, a teen can move to an intermediate license, which allows solo driving with limits: only one non-family passenger under 19 during the first six months (three after that), and no solo driving between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. except to or from work, school, or an emergency. Full, unrestricted Class F eligibility starts at 18.
Keeping Your License: Points and Penalties
Missouri assigns points for moving violation convictions. Common values include 3 points for speeding under state law, 2 points under a county or municipal ordinance, 4 points for careless and imprudent driving or driving without insurance, 8 points for a first DWI, and 12 points for a second DWI, leaving the scene of a state-law accident, or driving on a suspended or revoked license. Any violation involving personal injury adds two extra points.13Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 302.302 – Point System Points decay with clean driving: one year reduces your total by a third, two years cuts the remainder in half, and three clean years zeros you out.14Missouri Department of Revenue. Tickets and Points FAQs
Eight points in 18 months triggers an automatic suspension: 30 days for a first, 60 days for a second, 90 days for a third or later. Revocation lasts a full year and kicks in at 12 points in 12 months, 18 in 24 months, or 24 in 36 months. After a revocation, you have to apply for a license from scratch.15Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 302.304 – Suspension and Revocation
Driving without a valid license is a Class D misdemeanor for a first offense, a Class A misdemeanor for a second, and a Class E felony for a third or later conviction.16Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 302.020 – License Required Driving on a suspended or revoked license carries parallel misdemeanor and felony tiers under a separate statute, and after the first conviction, courts cannot substitute a fine for jail time: a minimum of 48 hours of imprisonment or 40 hours of community service is required.17Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 302.321 – Driving While Suspended or Revoked