The learner permit test in Mobile, AL is a 30-question written knowledge exam given on a computer at the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) office on Demetropolis Road. You need 24 correct answers to pass, and the full cost for testing and permit issuance is $41.25. You can apply starting at age 15 as long as you bring the right documents and, if you’re under 19, proof that you’re enrolled in school.
Who Can Take the Test
Alabama sets the minimum age at 15. At 15, you’ll be issued a “Y” restriction permit, meaning any driving you do afterward must have a parent, legal guardian, licensed driver aged 21 or older, or a certified driving instructor in the front passenger seat. Once you turn 16, any licensed driver in the front seat satisfies supervision.1Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Graduated Driver License
If you’re under 19, Alabama Act 93-368 requires you to be currently enrolled in a secondary school or already graduated. ALEA will not issue a permit to anyone in that age range who can’t show compliance.2Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Driver License Information You also need to show legal presence in the U.S. and Alabama residency.
What to Bring
Alabama uses a layered document system. You’ll need your original Social Security card plus a combination of primary and secondary listed documents. A primary document is typically a certified birth certificate from a state vital records office. If one of your documents includes your photograph, you need one primary plus one additional document. Without a photo document, you need one primary plus two additional documents.3Alabama Administrative Code. Alabama Administrative Code 760-X-1-.20 – Proof of Identity, Authorized Presence
If you’re under 19 and still in school, bring a school enrollment verification form signed by a school administrator. Make sure it’s recent and fully signed, because an incomplete form will hold up the whole application.
If your name has changed since any of your identity documents were issued, bring certified documentation of the change, such as a marriage certificate or court order.
What the Written Test Covers
The exam is 30 multiple-choice questions on a computer. You need 24 correct, which is 80 percent. Every question is drawn from the Alabama Driver Manual, available as a free PDF on ALEA’s website.1Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Graduated Driver License
Expect questions on right-of-way, speed limits in various zones, the meaning of road signs by shape and color, and emergency responses like brake failure or a tire blowout. Sign recognition trips up a lot of first-time test takers. Regulatory signs (speed limits, stop, yield) use different shapes and colors than warning signs (curves, merging traffic) or informational signs (hospital, gas, food). Knowing those visual categories going in makes a real difference.
The manual also covers Alabama-specific material like the move-over law and penalties for texting while driving. Don’t rely only on online practice quizzes; read the manual through at least once. Practice tests help gauge readiness, but the real exam sometimes pulls from sections third-party quizzes skip.
Where to Go in Mobile
Mobile County has one ALEA Driver License office that handles first-time permit testing: 3400 Demetropolis Road, Mobile, AL 36693. The office phone is (251) 315-0201.4Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Mobile County
The Mobile County License Commission on Government Street handles renewals and other transactions, but if you’ve never held an Alabama license or permit, you must test at the Demetropolis Road office.5Mobile County License Commission. Driver License
Book ahead through the online appointment system at alabamadl.alea.gov. Walk-in waits at this office can stretch past an hour, especially early in the week and around school breaks.6Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Schedule a Driver License Appointment
What Happens on Test Day
The process at Demetropolis Road follows a set order. Staff review your documents first. Then you take a vision screening. If you wear glasses or contacts, bring them; passing with corrective lenses means your permit will carry a restriction noting that.
Before you sit down at the computer, you’ll pay a non-refundable $5 testing fee. ALEA does not accept personal checks for permit fees, so bring cash, a debit card, or a credit card. If you pass, a $36.25 issuance fee is collected to produce your credential.7Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Document Requirements and Fees Total out the door: $41.25.
You leave with a temporary paper permit valid for 30 days, so you can start supervised practice right away. Your permanent photo card arrives in the mail, typically within a few weeks.
If You Don’t Pass
Failing isn’t unusual, and it’s not a dead end. You lose the $5 fee for that attempt and can schedule a retake, which costs another $5. ALEA does not publish a specific statewide waiting period between attempts, so ask the examiner at the Demetropolis Road office how retake scheduling works locally. Before you go back, spend real time in the sections of the manual where you slipped. Most people who fail narrowly miss the cutoff on sign identification or right-of-way questions.
Adding a STAR ID at the Same Visit
Federal REAL ID enforcement began on May 7, 2025. You now need a REAL ID-compliant credential to board domestic flights and enter certain federal facilities.8Transportation Security Administration. REAL ID Alabama’s version is the STAR ID, and you can add it to your learner permit at the time of application, saving a second trip later.
The STAR ID requires four documents across three categories:9Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. STAR ID Document List
- Identity and date of birth (one document): a valid U.S. passport, certified birth certificate from a state vital records office, certificate of naturalization, or permanent resident card.
- Social Security number (one document): your Social Security card, a W-2 from the current or previous year, DD-214, or a Medicare card showing your full SSN followed by the letter “A.”
- Proof of Alabama residence (two documents): any two of a utility bill less than 90 days old, voter registration card, current lease or rental agreement, vehicle registration, property tax receipt, or previous year’s tax return showing your address.
Photocopies are not accepted for any of these.
What You Can Do With the Permit
The learner permit is a Stage I credential under Alabama’s Graduated Driver License program, and it comes with firm limits.1Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Graduated Driver License You cannot drive alone. At 15, your supervising driver must be a parent, legal guardian, someone at least 21 with a valid license, or a certified driving instructor, seated in the front passenger seat. At 16, any licensed driver in the front seat counts. Curfews and passenger limits don’t apply until the Stage II restricted license, so in practice your supervising driver decides when and where you drive during Stage I.