TRANSITION SERVICES: DRIVER LICENSE
These instructions cannot cover ever aspect of obtaining your driver’s license. Visit www.dmv.ca.gov/dl/new_driver.htm for
additional information.
How to apply for a provisional permit if you are under 18:
NOTE: If you are over 17 ½ but under 18 years of age, you may get your permit without the driver education and
driver training certificates however, you will not be able to take the driving test until you turn 18.
To apply for a provisional permit you must be at least 15 ½, but under 18 years of age. You will need to do the
following:
Visit a DMV office. Your local office is at 4005 Plaza Dr., Oceanside, CA 92056 Their hours are: Mon., Tue.,
Thur., Fro. 8 am – 5 pm and Wed. 9 am – 5 pm. Make an appointment for faster service: call 1-800-777-0133.
Pick up form DL 44 from the DMV and complete the application. Note: You can’t print this on-line.
Have your parents’ or guardians’ sign the application form DL 44.
Note: Nonresident parents cannot sign the application form and cannot accept liability for a minor in California.
Nonresident military parents stationed and living in California can sign the application form and accept liability for a
minor.
When parents or guardians sign for a minor to get a driver license, they are stating that they will accept financial
responsibility for that minor and that drivers and vehicle owners carry the following minimum monetary limits:
$15,000 for injury or death of 1 person per accident
$30,000 for injury or death of 2 or more persons per accident
$5,000 for any property damage per accident
Evidence of financial responsibility must be carried at all times in the vehicle. The card (or other evidence) must state the
insurance company’s name and address, the period of coverage, and policy number.
Give a thumb print
Have your picture taken
Provide your social security number. It will be verified with the Social Security Administration while you are in
the office. NOTE: Your card cannot be laminated.
Verify your birth date and legal presence. Following are some examples of acceptable documents – they must
be the original or a certified copy:
US Birth Certificate
US Passport or US Passport Card
Certificate of Naturalization or Citizenship
Permanent Resident Card
Note: If the name on your social security card and birth certificate (or other form of ID) doesn’t match, contact the Social
Security Administration (SSA) to change your name before you make an appointment with DMV. DMV electronically
verifies your name, birth date and social security number with the SSA. Provide your true full name.
Submit the proper form(s) for driver education and/or driver training classes. If you are 15 ½ to 17 ½ years of
age, you will need to provide one of the following: Certificate of Completion of Driver Education, or Certificate of
Completion of Driver Education and Driver Training or Certificate of Enrollment in an Integrated (Classroom)
Driver Education And Driver Training Program.
Pay the application fee – currently $31. This fee entitles you to three exams of any type within the 12-month
period and pays for both the instruction permit and the driver license.
Pass a vision exam
Pass a traffic laws and sign test. There are 46 questions on the test. A passing score is at least 39 correct
answers. You have three chances to pass the test. If you fail, you must wait 7 days before taking it again. Note:
There are no appointments to take the written test after 4:30 p.m.
How to apply for a provisional permit if you are under 18 – continued:
Once you pass your written test, you will be issued a provisional permit. A parent, guardian, spouse or adult 25 years of
age or older, who has a valid California driver license, must be with you when you drive. He or she must sit in a
position close enough to take control of the vehicle, if necessary. It is illegal for you to drive alone at any time.
If all requirements are not met within the 12-month period, the application becomes void and all steps must be
completed again!
Driver Education and Driver Training Information
You may take driver education (classroom training) or driver training (behind-the-wheel) in a California private or public
high school, technical school, or adult school, or in a state licensed, professional driving school. Driver Education must
consist of at least 30 hours or 2 1/2 semester periods of professional classroom instruction. Driver training must consist
of at least six hours of behind-the-wheel professional instruction. NOTE: If your driver education and driver training were
taken in a state other than California, DMV will accept either a:
“To Secondary Schools Other Than California Schools” form (DL 33) form completed by the out-of state
secondary school. Obtain a DL 33 form from your local DMV office or by calling DMV at 1-800-777-0133. Send
the DL 33 form to your out-of-state secondary school to complete.
A letter from your out-of state secondary school on the out-of-state secondary school's stationery signed by a
school official stating that the courses you have taken are equivalent to a California secondary school course
described in Section 10020 of Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations.
An out-of-state driving instructional permit is not acceptable proof of driver education and driver training.
To take your driving test:
Note: Before being eligible to take your driving test you must:
Be 16 years old
Have held your permit for a minimum of six months
Have completed driver education
Have completed 6 hours of professional driver training
Have completed 50 hours of practice with an adult 25 years or older. The adult must have a valid California
driver license and certify to the 50 hours of practice. At least 10 of the 50 hours must have been done at night.
To take your driving test, you will need to:
Make a driving test appointment at you local DMV office or call 1-800-777-0133 between the hours of 8 a.m.
and 5 p.m. Monday-Friday, to make a driving test appointment. Driving tests are not given without an
appointment.
Provide proof of financial responsibility. You must show that your vehicle is properly insured before the driving
test begins (or the test will be postponed) by providing one of the following:
A document with the liability insurance policy number.
An Assigned Risk insurance card with the name of the assigned insurance company, file number, and current
coverage dates.
Current insurance binder or copy of an insurance policy signed or countersigned by an insurance company
representative.
DMV-issued certificate of self-insurance or acknowledgment of cash deposit.
Written confirmation from the insurer that the person is insured.
You have three chances to pass the driving test. If you fail, you may practice for a while, then make another appointment.
You must wait two weeks before you can take the test again. If you fail to successfully complete the driving test on the
first attempt, you must pay a $6 fee for each additional driving test.
After you pass your driving test you will be issued an interim license valid for 90 days until you receive your new photo
license in the mail. Check your address before you leave DMV and tell the DMV representative if you have moved or if
your address is incorrect. If you have not received your license after 60 days, call 1-800-777-0133 to check on the status.
Have your interim license with you to provide information when requested.
Provisional driver license restrictions during the first year:
You must be accompanied and supervised by a licensed parent, guardian or other licensed driver 25 years of
age or older or a licensed or certified driving instructor when you:
Transport passengers under 20 years of age at any time, for the first twelve months.
Drive between 11 pm and 5 am for the first twelve months.
Persons under 18 may not be employed to drive a motor vehicle. When you turn 18 years of age, the provisional part of
your license ends. You may continue to drive as an adult using your photo license, which will expire on your 5th birthday
after the date you applied.
Exceptions to Restrictions
When reasonable transportation is not available and it is necessary for you to drive, the law grants the following
exceptions for minors to drive between 11 pm and 5 am or to transport an immediate family member unaccompanied and
unsupervised. A signed note must be kept in your possession for any of these exceptions explaining the necessity and
the date when the driving necessity will end (except emancipated minors).
Medical necessity when reasonable transportation alternatives are inadequate. The note must be signed by
your physician, and contain the diagnosis and probable date of recovery.
Schooling or school-authorized activity. The note must be signed by your school principal, dean, or his/her
designee.
Employment necessity and the need to operate a vehicle as part of your employment. The note must be signed
by your employer verifying employment.
Your necessity or the necessity of an immediate family member. The note must be signed by your parent or
legal guardian.
If you are an emancipated minor, no documentation is needed. However, you must have already declared
yourself emancipated and provided DMV with Proof of Financial Responsibility (SR 1P) in lieu of your
guarantors’ signatures.
How to apply for a driver license if you are over 18:
To obtain your permit:
To apply for an original driver license if you are over 18, you will need to do the following:
Visit a DMV office. Make an appointment for faster service: call 1-800-777-0133
Pick up form DL 44 from the DMV and complete the application. NOTE: You can’t print this on-line.
Give a thumb print
Have your picture taken
Provide your social security number. NOTE: It will be verified with the Social Security Administration while you
are in the office. NOTE: Your card cannot be laminated.
Verify your birth date and legal presence. NOTE: If the name on your social security card and birth certificate
(or other form of ID) doesn’t match, contact the Social Security Administration (SSA) to change your name
before you make an appointment with DMV. DMV electronically verifies your name, birth date and social
security number with the SSA. Provide your true full name.
Following are some examples of acceptable documents – they must be the original or a certified copy:
US Birth Certificate
US Passport or US Passport Card
Certificate of Naturalization or Citizenship
Permanent Resident Card
Pay the application fee – currently $31
Pass a vision exam
Pass a traffic laws and sign test. There are 36 questions on the test. You have three chances to pass. Note:
There are no appointments to take the written test after 4:30 p.m.
You will then be issued a permit, (if you have never been licensed before). When you practice, you must have an adult
who is 18 years of age or older, with a valid California license, in the car. This person must be close enough to you to
take control of the vehicle if necessary. It is illegal for you to drive alone.
See instructions above for information on making an appointment to take your driving test, proof of financial responsibility
requirements and the interim license you will receive while you wait for your photo license to arrive through the mail