Oregon Learner’s Permit: Tests, Fees, and Practice Hours

An Oregon learner’s permit costs $30, requires passing a 35-question knowledge test and a vision screening at the DMV, and lets you practice on public roads for two years as long as a licensed driver at least 21 years old is seated next to you. You can apply as young as 15, and the paperwork is lighter once you turn 18.

Who Can Apply

Applicants aged 15, 16, and 17 receive what Oregon formally calls a Provisional Instruction Permit.¹ Adults 18 and older apply through a shorter process with fewer prerequisites.² Under ORS 807.060, the DMV cannot grant driving privileges to anyone who fails Oregon’s eligibility standards, which include physical and mental fitness to drive safely.³

You cannot hold a permit or license that is currently suspended, canceled, or revoked in Oregon or any other state. If you have a driver license, permit, or ID card from another state, you must surrender it when you apply.

Documents to Bring

Every applicant needs proof of legal name, date of birth, and Social Security number. A birth certificate, passport, or similar government-issued document works for identity. The DMV verifies your Social Security number directly with the federal government before issuing any permit.⁴ If you’ve never been assigned one, you can submit a written statement saying so.

Oregon issues both standard and Real ID-compliant permits. A Real ID permit requires two proofs of your Oregon residential address on top of the identity documents.⁵ Starting in 2025, you need a Real ID or a passport to board domestic flights and enter certain federal buildings, so adding it now saves a return trip. The DMV website has an interactive checklist that spells out which papers to bring based on the version you want.

If You’re Under 18

A parent or legal guardian can accompany you to the office and sign the electronic application on-site. When that isn’t possible, Form 735-173DP lets them sign a paper certification in advance.⁶ You also need proof that you are enrolled in school, have completed school, or are exempt from attendance requirements.⁷

Non-U.S. Citizens

If you are lawfully in the United States on a temporary visa, you can apply for a limited-term instruction permit by providing proof of age, identity, lawful presence, and Oregon residency. The permit stays valid only as long as your authorized stay. If your immigration status has no set expiration date, the permit is issued in one-year increments and must be renewed with fresh proof of lawful presence each time.

The Knowledge Test

The test has 35 multiple-choice questions on traffic laws, road signs, and safe driving practices. You need at least 28 correct answers to pass, which works out to 80 percent.⁸ Questions pull straight from the Oregon Driver Manual, which is free on the DMV website. Reading it cover to cover is the single best preparation; most people who fail skimmed it.

You can test at a DMV office (walk-in or appointment) or online from home on a desktop or laptop with a webcam. Tablets and phones won’t work for the online version.⁹ If you’re under 18 and test online, an adult proctor at least 21 years old must register and observe you. Online testing is limited to four total attempts; after that, any further tries must happen at a DMV office.

The test is offered in several languages, with or without audio assistance, and you can bring your own earbuds or headphones to a DMV office.⁸ If you fail at an office, you can retake it the same day when the office has openings; there is no mandatory waiting period.² Online, you’re capped at two attempts within any 24-hour period.⁹

Vision Screening

A vision test is required at the DMV office whether or not you took the knowledge test online. Oregon’s minimum standard is 20/70 acuity in at least one eye, not the 20/40 many people assume. Vision between 20/40 and 20/70 earns a daylight-only restriction on your permit.¹⁰ At 20/40 or better with both eyes, you drive unrestricted. If you wear corrective lenses to meet the standard, a “B” restriction goes on your permit requiring you to wear them whenever you drive.¹¹

Fees and What You Walk Out With

Once you pass both tests, the DMV collects the $30 fee and takes a digital photo.¹² The Real ID upgrade adds another $30. You leave with a temporary paper permit so you can start practicing immediately, and the permanent plastic card arrives by mail.

Rules While Driving on the Permit

A licensed driver at least 21 years old must sit beside you every time you drive, and that person must hold a license with the same class of driving privileges as your permit.¹³ No statute sets a minimum tenure for a supervisor just to ride along. For teens working toward the 50 or 100 hours of practice required for a provisional license, though, only time logged with a supervisor licensed for at least three years counts.¹ That distinction trips people up: any licensed 21-year-old satisfies the law to be in the car, but only one with three years of licensure helps you accumulate qualifying hours.

Oregon bans all use of mobile electronic devices while driving, including hands-free systems for drivers under 18. A first conviction is a Class B traffic violation, and penalties escalate quickly for repeat offenses or any phone use that contributes to a reportable accident.¹⁴ Everyone in the vehicle must also wear a properly fastened seatbelt, driver and passengers alike.

There is no nighttime curfew on the permit itself. The midnight-to-5 a.m. restriction many people associate with teen driving kicks in only after you graduate to a provisional driver license.¹⁵ Practicing after dark with your supervising driver is still smart, since you’ll need those skills eventually.

Driver Education and Practice Hours for Teens

An ODOT-approved driver education course isn’t required, but it cuts the supervised practice requirement in half. Without a course, you need 100 hours of supervised practice before applying for a provisional license. With one, you need 50.¹⁶ Completing the course also waives the behind-the-wheel drive test at the DMV.¹⁷ Keep a written log of your hours; you’ll certify the total when you apply.

Once you’ve held the permit, finished your hours, and turned at least 16, you can apply for the provisional license through DMV2U and a DMV visit. Teens who skipped driver education must also pass a drive test at a DMV office or an approved third-party testing business.¹⁷

Adults 18 and Older

If you’re 18 or older, you skip parental consent, school enrollment proof, and supervised practice hours. You study the Oregon Driver Manual, pass the same 35-question knowledge test and vision screening, pay $30, and receive your permit.² The supervision rule still applies: a licensed driver at least 21 years old must sit beside you whenever you drive.¹³ When you’re ready for a full license, you schedule a drive test at a DMV office. There’s no driver-education waiver available to adults.

How Long It Lasts and How to Renew

A Class C instruction permit is valid for 24 months from the date of issue.¹³ If it expires before you’re ready for a license, you can apply for a new one at a $26 renewal fee.¹² As long as the permit hasn’t been expired for more than a year, you won’t retake the knowledge or vision tests.² Let it lapse beyond a year and you start the testing over.

Replacement permits for lost or damaged cards cost $30, and a Real ID upgrade at any point is another $30 on top of standard fees.¹²

1
Oregon Department of Transportation. Get an Instruction Permit – Under 18
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Oregon Driver & Motor Vehicle Services. Get an Instruction Permit – Over 18
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Oregon Revised Statutes. Oregon Code 807.060 – Eligibility
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Oregon Revised Statutes. Oregon Code 807.021 – Proof of Social Security Number; Rules
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Oregon Driver & Motor Vehicle Services. REAL ID Information
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Oregon Department of Transportation. Oregon Driver and Motor Vehicle Services Documents Presented and Parent/Guardian Certification
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Oregon Revised Statutes. Oregon Code 807.065 – Additional Eligibility Requirements for Persons Under 18 Years of Age; Provisional Driver License
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Oregon Department of Transportation. Oregon Driver Manual – Testing
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Oregon Driver & Motor Vehicle Services. Online Knowledge Testing
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Oregon Revised Statutes. OAR 735-062-0050 – Eyesight Check Content and Standards
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Oregon Department of Transportation. Certificate of Vision
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Oregon Driver & Motor Vehicle Services. Driver Licensing and ID Card Fees
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Oregon Revised Statutes. Oregon Code 807.280 – Instruction Driver Permit; Fees
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Oregon Revised Statutes. Oregon Code 811.507 – Operating Motor Vehicle While Using Mobile Electronic Device
15
Oregon Department of Transportation. Parents’ Role in the World of Teen Driving
16
Oregon Driver & Motor Vehicle Services. The Rules for Provisional Driver Licensing
17
Oregon Department of Transportation. Parent-Teen Resources