Driving Tests

How to Get a Learner's Permit in California Under 18

informational·how to guide·Published June 16, 2026

How do you get a California permit under 18?

In California, a teen can apply for an instruction permit (learner's permit) at 15½. A teen aged 15½ to 17½ needs a driver education certificate. A parent or guardian must sign the application, and the teen visits a DMV office with proof of identity and residency. Then hold the permit at least 6 months and log 50 practice hours, 10 of them at night, before the drive test.

Where these rules come from

This guide uses the California DMV learner's permit page, the DMV licensing fee page and Vehicle Code section 12814.6. It also uses the Teen Driver Roadmap, the California Driver's Handbook, the DMV online application, driver training schools and driver license pages, and Vehicle Code section 12509 (as of 2026). When a DMV page and the law differ, this guide follows the law. Confirm the rules with the California DMV (dmv.ca.gov) before you drive.

Who can get a California instruction permit under 18?

A teen can apply from age 15½ until the 18th birthday. From 15½ to 17½, the teen needs a Certificate of Completion of Driver Education, or a Certificate of Enrollment in an integrated driver education and driver training program. A teen over 17½ can get the permit without these certificates, but cannot take the driving test until age 18.

Steps to get your California permit under 18

1
Finish driver education
Take driver education at a high school or a state-licensed driving school. When you finish, you receive a certificate of completion. Bring it to the DMV office.
2
Set up two MyDMV accounts
The teen needs a MyDMV account with their own name and email. A parent or guardian needs a MyDMV account too, to approve the application.
3
Start the application online
The teen fills in the driver license application online. The parent or guardian approves it and signs it. If the parents or guardians share joint custody, both must sign.
4
Book the appointment and upload your documents
After the parent approves, the teen can schedule a DMV appointment and upload documents. A parent or guardian must come to the appointment. Check the DMV list of accepted documents, and see the documents to bring for a California permit, before you go.
5
Go to the DMV office
Pay the application fee, pass the vision exam, have your photo taken and take the knowledge test. A passing score is 80%. Knowledge tests are not available at DMV offices after 4:30 p.m., so arrive early.
6
Start driver training
Driver training is at least 6 hours behind the wheel with a professional driving instructor, and no more than 2 hours a day. The permit becomes valid when your instructor signs it, after at least one hour of behind-the-wheel training.

What a parent or guardian signs up for

When a parent or guardian signs for a minor, they state that they accept financial responsibility for that minor. California minimum financial responsibility limits are USD 30,000 for injury or death of one person, USD 60,000 for injury or death of more than one person, and USD 15,000 for property damage. Later, a parent, spouse, guardian, or licensed or certified driving instructor certifies the practice hours when the teen applies for the provisional license.

What to bring to the DMV office for a permit under 18

Your Certificate of Completion of Driver Education, or your Certificate of Enrollment in an integrated program.
Your online application, approved by a parent or guardian.
Proof of identity.
Two proofs of residency (exceptions may apply).
A legal full name document, if the name on your identity document and your application do not match.
Your Social Security number (exceptions may apply).
Payment for the application fee.

California DMV fees for a permit and a drive test

California DMV fees for a permit and a drive test
Item	Amount	Note
Application fee for the permit (original Class C)	USD 46	Paid at the DMV office (as of 2026). Your instruction permit is issued on this application.
Drive-test retest	USD 9	The DMV fee page lists USD 9. Another DMV page lists USD 7. Confirm the amount with the DMV before you pay.

What you must finish before the drive test (ages 16 to under 18)

Hold the instruction permit for at least six months.
Complete driver education and six hours of professional driver training.
Complete 50 hours of supervised practice, with at least 10 hours of driving in the dark.
Keep your application valid. It lasts 12 months after you apply. If it runs out before you have held the permit for six months, reapply at a DMV office. The time you already held the permit still counts toward the six months.

Who can ride with you while you practice?

You are 16 or 17, and your supervisor is your parent, spouse or guardian, or a licensed or certified driving instructor

They can supervise you. The age 25 rule does not apply to them, but they must hold a California license that is not on probation.

You are 16 or 17, and your supervisor is any other California-licensed driver

That driver must be 25 or older, and the driver's own license must not be on probation.

You are 16 or 17 and want to drive alone, for example to school or work

Not allowed on a permit. You can drive a car only while you take driver training or practice it, with one of the supervisors above.

You are 15½ and not yet 16

A California-licensed driver aged 18 or older, whose license is not on probation, must be with you.

You want to practice on a motorcycle or motorized bicycle

The permit for a car does not allow it.

Booking the California drive test at 16

You can take the drive test from age 16, after you finish the list above. Schedule a driving test appointment, because the DMV does not give driving tests without one. On test day, bring another California-licensed driver. For a minor, that driver must be 25 or older. Also bring a vehicle that is safe to drive, and valid proof of insurance and vehicle registration.

Waiting times and attempts after a failed test

Waiting times and attempts after a failed test
Test	Wait before a retake	Attempts
Knowledge test	One week (7 days for minors, not counting the day you failed). The Teen Driver Roadmap says 8 days.	Three attempts, then you must reapply.
Drive test	At least two weeks (14 days for minors, not counting the day you failed). The Teen Driver Roadmap says 15 days. Confirm your retest date with the DMV.	Three attempts. After three failures, the application is no longer valid and you must reapply.

The first 12 months after you pass

A driver under 18 who passes gets a provisional license. For the first 12 months after it is issued, you may not drive between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. unless an approved adult is with you. You may not carry passengers under 20 unless a parent, guardian, licensed driver aged 25 or older, or licensed or certified driving instructor is with you. Exceptions apply. See what a provisional license allows for the full list.

Key takeaways

A teen can apply at 15½ with an application approved by a parent or guardian, and MyDMV accounts for the teen and the parent. From 15½ to 17½, a driver education certificate is also needed.
Hold the permit at least 6 months, finish 6 hours of driver training and 50 practice hours, then book the drive test.
Next step: practice for the knowledge test on the free California Class C permit practice test.

California permit under 18: common questions

Can I take driver's ed online in California?

Yes. Driver education can be 30 hours of classroom teaching, or a home study or internet program. A home study or internet program must meet the same requirements as the classroom course. Either way, you receive a certificate of completion when you finish, and you bring it to the DMV office for your permit.

Does a parent have to go to the DMV with a teen for a permit?

Yes. A parent or guardian must come to the DMV appointment. Before the teen can book it, the parent must approve the application in the parent's own MyDMV account. If the parents share joint custody, both must sign.

I took driver's ed in another state. Can I still get a California permit?

Yes, if you are under 18. Ask your out-of-state high school to complete form DL 33, which you get from a DMV office. The DMV accepts a letter from that school, on its official stationery and signed by a school official, that says your courses equal a California high school course. An out-of-state permit does not count as proof.

How much does a California learner's permit cost for a teen?

The DMV application fee for an original Class C license is USD 46 in California (as of 2026), and your instruction permit is issued on that application. You pay it at the DMV office. Driver education and driver training cost extra. Compare tuition between driving schools and ask about any additional fees.