Driving Tests

Wisconsin Probationary License Rules: GDL Curfew and Passengers

informational·how to guide·Published May 29, 2026

What can I do with a Wisconsin probationary license at 16?

With a Wisconsin probationary license at 16, you can drive alone. For the first 9 months, or until you turn 18 if sooner, two limits apply. You can carry any number of immediate family members, one qualified adult and one other passenger. From midnight to 5 a.m., you drive alone only between home, school and work; for other trips, a parent, guardian or qualified adult sits beside you.

Where these rules come from

This guide uses Wis. Stat. s. 343.085, the law for the probationary license and its GDL limits, the Wisconsin DMV probationary driver license page and the DMV GDL questions and answers. It also uses the DMV page on license differences, the 2026 Wisconsin Motorists' Handbook, Wis. Stat. s. 343.07 and s. 343.20, Wis. Admin. Code s. Trans 101.02 and 2023 Wisconsin Act 44. When a DMV page words a rule differently from the law, this guide follows the law. The rules are as of 2026. Confirm the rules with the Wisconsin DMV (wisconsindot.gov) before you drive.

What a probationary license is

A probationary license is the first driver license for a new driver in Wisconsin, at any age. It is a valid Class D driver license, not a permit, and you can use it inside and outside Wisconsin. You get it after you pass the road test (also called the skills test) at the Wisconsin DMV. For drivers under 18, the first months of this license come with Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) limits on passengers and night driving.

What you need to get a probationary license under 18

You are at least 16 years old.
You held an instruction permit for at least 6 months. The guide to Wisconsin instruction permit rules explains who can ride with you while you practice.
You have no conviction for a moving violation that you committed in the 6 months before you apply.
You passed an approved driver education course.
You have an adult sponsor.
You completed 50 hours of driving practice, 10 of them at night. Your parent or adult sponsor certifies the hours on the driver application.
You pass the road test.

Who can ride with you in the first 9 months

You can drive alone, but your passengers have limits at all hours. Any number of immediate family members can ride with you. One qualified adult can also ride: a person with a valid regular license and at least 2 years of licensed driving experience who is one of these: a qualified instructor or spouse 19 or older, or a person 21 or older. On top of that, you can carry one other person. So one friend can ride with you, but a second friend cannot. The practice question about which group may ride with a 16-year-old probationary driver tests this rule.

The midnight to 5 a.m. limit

From 12 midnight to 5 a.m., you can drive alone only between your home, your school and your work. For any other trip in those hours, a parent or guardian, or a qualified adult, must sit in the seat beside you. Your immediate family and one other person can still ride along. A drive home from a friend's house at 12:30 a.m. is not a trip between home, school and work, as the practice question about driving alone after midnight shows.

Probationary license limits by time and age

Probationary license limits by time and age
Situation	What the rule says
Under 18, first 9 months, 5 a.m. to midnight	Drive alone and go anywhere, with the passenger limit
Under 18, first 9 months, midnight to 5 a.m.	Drive alone only between home, school and work; for other trips, a parent, guardian or qualified adult beside you
Under 18, driving for emergency purposes	The GDL limits do not apply
After 9 months, or at 18 if that comes first	The hour and passenger limits end; the license stays probationary
First license at 18 or older	No hour limits and no passenger limits

When do the GDL limits end?

The limits last 9 months after the license is issued, or until your 18th birthday, whichever comes first. If you get the license at 17 years and 6 months, the limits last 6 months. A violation can make the period longer. The DMV adds 6 months, but never past your 18th birthday, if you are convicted of a moving violation on its list, break the curfew or passenger limits, or have your license suspended or revoked for a reason other than a physical or mental disability. The 9 months do not count down while your license is suspended or revoked.

What a curfew or passenger violation costs

A $50 (U.S. dollars) forfeiture for a first offense.
A forfeiture of $50 to $100 for each later offense.
3 demerit points for the conviction.
A notice from the DMV to the adult sponsor who signed for you.

After 18: points, expiry and the regular license

The hour and passenger limits end at 18, but the license stays probationary. On a permit, a probationary license or no license, demerit points double on your second and each later conviction for a moving violation, at any age. If you collect 12 to 30 points in any 12 months, your driving privilege is suspended for 6 months. The guide to new driver points and penalties explains how points add up. A probationary license expires 2 years from your next birthday. At 19 or older, after you held the permit and the probationary license for the required time, you can get a regular license, and points stop doubling.

Which rules apply to adults and new residents

You are 18 or older and you never had a license

You get a probationary license with no hour or passenger limits, and you do not need driver education. Hold the instruction permit for at least 7 days, unless you hold a valid foreign driver license and passed the knowledge test. Then pass the road test.

You move to Wisconsin, you are past your 21st birthday, you held a license from another state for at least 3 years, and it is not expired for more than 6 months

You are exempt from the probationary license, and you can get a regular license.

You move to Wisconsin and you are under 21, have less than 3 years of driving experience in the U.S., its territories or Canada, or surrender a license that is expired for more than 6 months

You get a probationary license.

You have a driver license from another country

You get a probationary license after you pass the required tests.

You give the DMV documentary proof that you are enlisted in the U.S. armed forces

You are exempt from the probationary license, under 2023 Wisconsin Act 44 (published December 7, 2023).

Key takeaways

At 16 or 17, for the first 9 months, you can carry any number of immediate family members, one qualified adult and one other person.
From midnight to 5 a.m., you drive alone only between home, school and work. The limits end after 9 months or at 18, and a violation adds 6 months, never past 18.
A curfew or passenger violation costs a $50 forfeiture for a first offense, 3 demerit points and a notice to your adult sponsor.
A new driver 18 or older gets a probationary license with no hour or passenger limits. Points still double from the second conviction.
Next step: practice the GDL rules on the free Wisconsin Class D practice test. It is in English only.

Wisconsin probationary license: common questions

Can I drive home from work after midnight on a Wisconsin probationary license?

Yes. From 12 midnight to 5 a.m., you can drive alone when you travel between your home, your school and your place of work. For a trip to any other place in those hours, a parent, guardian or qualified adult must sit in the seat beside you. The passenger limit still applies on the way home.

Do I need a new license when the GDL limits end?

No. When the 9 months end, or when you turn 18, the hour and passenger limits stop and you keep the same license. It stays probationary until it expires, 2 years from your next birthday. Until you get a regular license, points still double from your second conviction.

Does a traffic ticket make the GDL limits last longer?

Yes, when the ticket leads to a conviction for a moving violation on the DMV list while the limits apply to you. The DMV then adds 6 months to the limits, but not past your 18th birthday, and mails a notice of the extension to your home address.

Does a 19-year-old new driver get a probationary license in Wisconsin?

Yes. Every new driver gets a probationary license first, at any age. At 18 or older, you hold the instruction permit for at least 7 days, pass the road test and do not need driver education. There are no GDL hour or passenger limits, but points still double from your second conviction.

When can I get a regular license in Wisconsin?

You must be at least 19, and you must have held the instruction permit and the probationary license for the required time. A driver who is 16 when the probationary license is issued keeps it until the 19th birthday at the earliest, because it expires 2 years from the next birthday.