Nebraska Driver’s License Requirements: Documents, Tests, and Fees

To meet Nebraska driver’s license requirements, you need to prove who you are, prove you live in Nebraska, pass three tests, and pay about $29 for a five-year Class O license. The Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles issues the license after verifying your documents electronically and administering a vision screening, a 25-question written exam, and a behind-the-wheel driving test. If you already hold a valid license from another state, you have 30 days after establishing Nebraska residency to make the switch.

Documents You Must Bring

Nebraska law requires three categories of documentation: proof of identity and lawful status, your Social Security number, and two proofs of your Nebraska street address.¹ Show up short on any of the three and the office will send you home.

Identity and Lawful Status

One document establishes both who you are and that you are lawfully present in the United States. For U.S. citizens, the usual options are a certified birth certificate from a state vital records office or a valid U.S. passport. A Consular Report of Birth Abroad, a Certificate of Naturalization, or a Certificate of Citizenship also works.²

Non-citizens can use a valid Permanent Resident Card, an unexpired employment authorization document, or a foreign passport with a valid U.S. visa and an approved I-94 arrival record.² The DMV runs immigration status through the federal SAVE system, and applicants who present immigration documents must bring those documents to every DMV visit, not only the first one.³

Social Security Number

Every applicant provides a Social Security number, which the DMV verifies electronically and keeps off the printed license.¹ If you are not eligible for a number, get a denial letter (Form SSA-L676) by visiting a Social Security Administration office in person with your passport and I-94.

Two Proofs of Nebraska Address

You need two documents, from two different issuers, showing your name and a current Nebraska street address. A P.O. box will not do. Bank or financial institution statements, a valid insurance policy or card, and dated correspondence or invoices all qualify, provided each item is dated within the last 90 days.⁴ Lease agreements and mortgage statements work too. Two statements from the same bank count as one source.

REAL ID or Standard License

At the counter you choose between a REAL ID-compliant license and a standard license. Since May 7, 2025, federal agencies require REAL ID-compliant identification to board domestic flights, enter military bases, and access certain federal buildings.⁵ A standard Nebraska license is marked “NOT FOR FEDERAL PURPOSES” and will not clear a TSA checkpoint by itself.

Both versions require the same tests and the same base documents. The REAL ID version applies stricter identity verification at the time of application, but if you were already planning to bring a certified birth certificate or passport along with your Social Security proof and two address documents, you likely meet the REAL ID standard without extra work. Choose the standard license and you can still fly domestically using a valid U.S. passport or another TSA-approved ID. REAL ID cards carry a gold star in the upper corner.

The Three Tests

Every first-time applicant takes a vision screening, a written knowledge exam, and a behind-the-wheel driving test.⁶ You cannot retake a failed test on the same day.⁷

Vision Screening

Nebraska requires visual acuity of at least 20/40 in one eye, with or without corrective lenses, and a horizontal field of vision of at least 140 degrees.⁸ If you use glasses or contacts to reach those numbers, your license will show a corrective-lens restriction.⁹ Applicants who fail the screening can return with a statement from an optometrist or ophthalmologist certifying a vision reading within 90 days of the exam date.

Written Knowledge Exam

The computerized exam has 25 questions on traffic laws, right-of-way rules, speed limits, road signs, and pavement markings. You need 20 correct to pass, an 80 percent score. The DMV offers a free online practice test that matches the format of the real one.¹⁰ If you hold a valid learner’s permit that is current or expired by no more than a year, the written portion is waived.¹¹

Driving Test

You bring a registered, insured, and safe vehicle to the road test. A state examiner rides along and grades turns, lane changes, backing up, and parallel parking. Consistent signal use, mirror checks, and obedience to posted signs all count. The examiner is looking for real-world competence, not perfection. If you fail the driving test three times in a row, you cannot try again until you either complete a DMV-approved driver training course or hold a learner’s permit for at least 90 days.⁷

Fees and What You Leave With

The statutory fee for a five-year Class O license is $24.00.¹² A $5.00 security surcharge is added to every DMV document, so the usual total is $29.00.¹³ Most offices accept cash, check, and credit card.

Once you pass and your documents clear, the DMV takes a digital photo and captures your signature. You walk out with a temporary paper document valid for 30 days. Keep it in the vehicle. Your permanent card is manufactured centrally and mailed to the address on file. If it has not arrived within 20 business days, submit an online inquiry so the DMV can trace it.¹⁴

What a Class O License Lets You Drive

A Class O license covers any motor vehicle other than a motorcycle or a commercial vehicle, including passenger cars and trucks, mopeds, all-terrain vehicles, utility-terrain vehicles, and autocycles.¹⁵ A motorcycle needs a Class M license. Commercial vehicles need a commercial driver’s license with the right endorsements.

Age Rules for Applicants Under 18

The unrestricted Class O license is available at 18. Younger drivers move through Nebraska’s graduated system, which introduces privileges in stages:

School learner’s permit (LPE) at age 14, allowing supervised practice.
School permit (SCP) at 14 years and 3 months, allowing driving of family members to and from the school the holder attends.
Learner’s permit (LPD) at 15 after passing vision and written tests.
Provisional operator’s permit (POP) at 16, after holding one of the earlier permits for at least six months with fewer than three points on the driving record during that period.¹⁶

You can take the POP driving and written tests up to 60 days before turning 16, which spares you a trip back on your birthday.¹⁶ The POP carries passenger, curfew, handheld-device, seat belt, and zero-tolerance alcohol restrictions until the holder turns 18.

Moving to Nebraska With an Out-of-State License

New residents have 30 days from the date residency is established to visit a driver licensing office and apply. Residency is established by actions such as registering to vote, enrolling children in school, or signing a lease, and the clock starts on that action, not on when you arrive.¹⁷ Driving past that window on your old license can bring a citation.

Bring the same identity, Social Security, and address documents required of first-time applicants. A REAL ID-compliant license from your previous state can serve as proof of identity, though the DMV may still ask for additional proof of lawful status.¹⁷ Before issuing the license, the DMV checks the National Driver Register for suspensions, revocations, or denials in any state.¹⁸ If another state’s suspension is still active, Nebraska will not issue a license until it is cleared. A vision test is required for all new-resident applicants; the written and road tests may be waived depending on the status of your prior license.

Renewing Your License

A Class O license issued to someone 21 or older expires on the holder’s birthday in the fifth year after issuance. Licenses issued to anyone under 21 expire on the holder’s 21st birthday. The DMV mails a renewal postcard about 30 days before expiration. Adults 21 and older can renew up to 90 days early; drivers under 21 can renew up to 60 days before their 21st birthday.¹⁹

Online renewal is available for up to two consecutive cycles, provided the license expires before your 72nd birthday. After two online renewals, you renew in person. Online renewal is also unavailable if your name has changed or your appearance has changed significantly, because the DMV reuses the existing photo. Drivers 72 and older must renew in person every cycle. In-person renewals require one identity document with name and date of birth, plus two address documents if your address changed or was never verified, and possibly a vision screening. The fee is the same $24.00 statute plus the $5.00 surcharge.¹²

1
Nebraska Legislature. Nebraska Code 60-484 – Operator’s License Required, When; State Identification Card; Application
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Nebraska Legislature. Nebraska Code 60-484.04 – Identity Documents; Proof Requirements
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Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles. Document Verification Requirements
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Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles. Document Verification Form
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Transportation Security Administration. REAL ID
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Nebraska Legislature. Nebraska Code 60-4,114 – County Treasurer; Personnel; Examination of Applicant; Denial or Refusal of Certificate; Appeal; Medical Opinion
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Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles. How Many Times Can You Take Your Driving Test?
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Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles. Statement of Vision
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Nebraska Legislature. Nebraska Code 60-4,118 – Vision Requirements; Persons With Physical Impairments; Physical or Mental Incompetence; Prohibited Act; Penalty
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Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles. Practice Driver’s License Exam
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Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles. Learner’s Permit (LPD)
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Nebraska Legislature. Nebraska Code 60-4,115 – Fees; Allocation; State Identification Card; No Fee, When
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Nebraska DMV. Driver’s License and State ID Card Services
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Nebraska DMV. Frequently Asked Questions
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Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles. Driver’s License (Class O)
16
Nebraska Legislature. Nebraska Revised Statutes Chapter 60 Motor Vehicles 60-4,120.01
17
Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles. New Nebraska Resident Driver’s Licensing
18
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. National Driver Register (NDR)
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Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles. Renewals – Driver’s License, Motorcycle and State ID