How to Get a Driver's License in Minnesota

Photo: Adriaan Greyling, Pexels

This guide is for Minnesota teens, their parents and adults getting a first license. In Minnesota you can get an instruction permit at 15 once you finish the classroom part of driver education and pass a knowledge test. At 16, after six months on the permit, you can take the road test for a provisional license. A full license follows after 12 months of provisional driving with a clean record, or at 18. Each step links to a detailed guide below.

Key facts

Agency: Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS).
Handbook: the Minnesota Driver’s Manual, published by DVS.
Permit: from 15, valid for two years. Fee $11.25 plus a $2.25 surcharge and a filing fee (as of November 2026).
Provisional license: from 16, after holding the permit for six months. Fee $14.25 plus surcharge and filing fee.
Practice log: 40 hours, including 15 at night, plus either 10 more hours or a parent class.
Full license: after 12 months on a provisional license with a clean enough record, or at 18.

How to get a driver’s license in Minnesota, step by step

Stage	Age	What you need	Main limits
Instruction permit	15 to 17	Driver ed classroom phase done and enrolled in behind-the-wheel training; vision and knowledge tests; parent or guardian approval	Supervisor in the seat beside you; no phone use at all, even hands-free
Provisional license	16 to 17	Permit held 6 months with no convictions; driver ed complete; signed driving log; road test	No phones; passenger limits; midnight to 5 a.m. limit in the first 6 months
Full Class D license	17 or 18	12 months provisional with no alcohol or crash-related convictions and no more than one other moving violation; 10 supervised hours during the provisional period	Adult rules, including the hands-free law

Step 1: Driver education and the instruction permit

Before a permit, a teen must have completed the classroom phase of an approved driver education program (or 15 hours of classroom in a program that runs classroom and driving at the same time) and be enrolled in behind-the-wheel training. Home-school, teleconference and approved online driver ed programs also qualify. You then pass a vision test and the DVS knowledge test. Details: Minnesota permit knowledge test guide.

With the permit you may drive with a certified driver education instructor, your parent or guardian, or another licensed driver 21 or older, sitting beside you.

Step 2: Practice and the supervised driving log

Your log must show at least 40 hours with a licensed driver 21 or older, including 15 at night. You then add either 10 more hours or have your main supervisor take the 90-minute supplemental parent class. Details: Minnesota supervised driving log and parent class option.

Step 3: The road test and the provisional license

At 16, with six conviction-free months on the permit, you take the DVS road test. Bring your vehicle’s proof of insurance, your driver ed completion card and your signed log. Details: Minnesota road test explained. The rules you drive under afterwards are in Minnesota provisional license rules.

Step 4: The full license

After 12 months on the provisional license you can apply for a full under-21 Class D license (fee $27.75 plus surcharge and filing fee, as of November 2026). You need parent or guardian approval and a certification that you drove at least 10 supervised hours during the provisional period. A clean provisional record also gives a $3.50 credit toward that fee.

Adults 18 and over

Adults do not need driver education. You still get an instruction permit first and must hold it for at least six months if you are 18, or three months if you are 19 or older, before you can get a license. At 18 or older, your supervising driver must be at least 18 and sit in the front passenger seat.

Phone rules for Minnesota learners

Permit and provisional drivers may not use a cell phone at all while the vehicle is moving, handheld or hands-free, except to get emergency help. Adults may use a phone only in voice-activated or hands-free mode. Full detail: Minnesota hands-free law for new drivers.

Minnesota traffic laws to know for the test

Speed limits

Minnesota’s basic rule is that you must never drive faster than is reasonable for the conditions. Where no other limit is posted, state law sets:

Road type	Limit
Alleys	10 mph
Residential roadways (if the road authority adopts it)	25 mph
Urban districts	30 mph
Other roads	55 mph
Non-interstate expressways and freeways	65 mph
Interstates inside urbanized areas over 50,000 people	65 mph
Interstates outside those areas	70 mph

Driving over 100 mph means a six-month license revocation. General speed advice is in speed limits and the basic speed law.

School buses

When a school bus shows flashing red lights, stop at least 20 feet away and stay stopped until the red lights stop flashing. Flashing amber lights mean the bus is about to stop. You may never pass a school bus on its right, door side when the amber lights are on. Failing to stop is a misdemeanor with a fine of at least $500. See school bus stopping laws in the US.

Move over for stopped vehicles

When a stopped emergency vehicle, tow truck, road maintenance, utility, construction, postal or garbage vehicle has its lights flashing, move over a lane where possible. On roads with more than two lanes in your direction, leave a full lane empty. If you cannot change lanes, slow down until you have passed. See move over laws in the US.

Seat belts

The driver and every passenger must wear a properly adjusted seat belt. The fine is $25, and the driver is fined for each passenger under 15 who is not buckled. Car seat rules are in seat belt and child car seat laws.

Signs, signals, markings and sharing the road

The knowledge test checks that you can read regulatory, warning and guide signs, and it includes railroad crossings, slow-moving vehicles, school buses and bicycle laws. Learn the national basics in US road signs by shape and color, traffic signals in the US, US pavement markings, railroad crossings, pedestrians and crosswalks and sharing the road with motorcycles, bicycles and trucks. Minnesota driver education must also cover truck blind spots, vulnerable road users and, from July 1, 2026, work zone safety.

Winter and safe driving in Minnesota

DVS says you fail the road test if your vehicle gets stuck. Practice in snow with your supervisor before test day, and learn skid recovery and stopping distances in driving in snow, fog and rain. Driver ed in Minnesota must also teach carbon monoxide poisoning, including safe idling practices.

Alcohol, drugs and implied consent in Minnesota

Adults: driving with an alcohol concentration of 0.08 or more, or while under the influence of alcohol, drugs or cannabis, is driving while impaired (DWI).
Under 21: it is a crime to drive after drinking any alcohol at all when there is evidence of it in your body. A first offense brings a 30-day license suspension, or 180 days for a repeat.
Teens: any DWI-type conviction during the permit or provisional stage blocks or delays your next license.
Implied consent: refusing a test is reported to DVS and leads to license revocation.

More: implied consent and DUI in the US and drugged driving and cannabis.

Insurance and crashes

Every Minnesota vehicle owner must carry no-fault insurance, which covers basic economic loss benefits and liability. See car insurance for new drivers.
After any collision, stop at or near the scene and check what you hit. If someone is hurt or another vehicle is damaged, give your name, date of birth, address and plate number, show your license if a police officer asks, and help anyone injured.
If you did not give your insurance details at the scene, you must give them within 72 hours when asked.

Step-by-step: what to do after a car crash.

Moving to Minnesota

New residents have 60 days to get a Minnesota license. If you are 21 or older with a valid, unexpired license from another state, certain U.S. territories or Canada, you need only a vision test and an application. If that license expired less than a year ago you also take the written test; more than a year ago, the written and road tests. With a license from any other country, you take the written, vision and road tests. Under 21, check with DVS which tests apply. Teens with a valid license from another state can also qualify for the under-18 license route. General advice: moving to a new state.

More rules from the Minnesota Driver’s Manual

Keep right: drive on the right half of the road except to pass, when the right side is closed, on a marked three-lane road, on a one-way road or to move over for a stopped authorized vehicle.
Speed: on a two-lane highway posted 55 mph or more you may go 10 mph over the limit while lawfully passing. Driving below a posted minimum is illegal in normal conditions, and speeding at an intersection costs you the right of way.
Turns and U-turns: signal at least 100 feet before turning. No U-turns on interstate freeways, or near hilltops and curves where drivers can’t see you from 1,000 feet away. At a J-turn on a divided highway, turn right, move into the left-turn lane at the median opening and make a U-turn, yielding to oncoming traffic.
Roundabouts: a vehicle longer than 40 feet or wider than 10 feet may use more than one lane, so give it room.
Passing: be back on the right before coming within 100 feet of an oncoming vehicle. Don’t pass on a hill or curve where you can’t see 700 feet ahead, or within 100 feet of an intersection, underpass, tunnel or railroad crossing. Never pass a vehicle stopped for a pedestrian.
Parking: no parking within 20 feet of a crosswalk at an intersection, 30 feet of a flashing light, stop sign or signal, 50 feet of the nearest rail of a crossing, or 10 feet of a fire hydrant. Also not on a bridge, in a tunnel, at the street end of a driveway, by a yellow curb or double parked. Check for traffic and bicyclists before you open a door.
Hill parking: downhill, turn the wheels toward the curb or shoulder; uphill with a curb, away from it; uphill without a curb, toward the shoulder.
Child passengers: children under 13 ride in the back seat when there is one. A child stays rear-facing until at least 2 (and longer while they fit the seat), then forward-facing, then a booster from about 4 until age 9 or until the booster no longer fits. Never put a rear-facing seat in front of an active airbag.
Crashes and insurance: stop, call 911 if anyone is hurt and give reasonable help. Keep proof of no-fault and liability insurance in the vehicle; driving uninsured can mean a fine of up to $1,000 and up to 90 days in jail.
Fleeing police: fleeing an officer in a motor vehicle is a felony, with up to three years and one day in prison, a fine of up to $5,000, or both. If the chase causes substantial bodily harm, it rises to 5 years and $10,000. Great bodily harm means 7 years and $14,000, and a death means 10 years and $20,000. A conviction can also cost you your license.
School buses and crossings: amber lights start at least 100 feet before a stop where the limit is 35 mph or less, and 300 feet on faster roads. Stop for school safety patrols, crossing guards showing a stop sign or flag, and school bus flaggers.
Right of way: stop before entering a road from an alley, driveway or parking lot. At an uncontrolled T-intersection the turning driver yields to all cross traffic. Yield to transit buses leaving a stop and to a funeral procession using headlights or hazard lights.
Emergency vehicles: pull to the right and stop for lights and a siren (on a one-way road, to the nearest side), but clear an intersection first. You may be arrested up to four hours later. Stay at least 500 feet behind a fire truck on an emergency run.
Motorcycles: since 2025 motorcyclists may lane split at up to 25 mph (no more than 15 mph faster than traffic) and lane filter through stopped traffic. Don’t block them, and never crowd a motorcycle in its lane.
Bike lanes: drive in one only to park where allowed, enter or leave the road, or prepare to turn, and yield to bicyclists. Give bicyclists at least 3 feet.
Trucks: a truck driver may not see you up to 20 feet in front, along either side or up to 200 feet behind. A loaded tractor-trailer can need more than 400 feet to stop.
Railroads: stop at least 10 feet from the nearest rail or gate, and cross only when you can clear the tracks by 10 feet without stopping. If you stall with a train coming, get out and walk away at an angle toward the train.
Work zones: speeding where workers are present adds a $300 fine. Use the zipper merge: both lanes up to the merge point, then take turns.
Lights: headlights from sunset to sunrise, in rain, snow, hail, sleet or fog, and whenever you can’t see 500 feet ahead. Dim to low beams within 1,000 feet of oncoming traffic and within 200 feet of a vehicle you are following.
Freeways: ramp meters allow one car per green. Never stop, back up or turn around on an interstate except in an emergency. Move a lane away from emergency vehicles on the shoulder.
Other illegal behavior: headphones or earphones in both ears, more than three people in the front seat, littering, and loads sticking out more than 3 feet in front. You must be 18 to drive a recreational vehicle combination, and a camper or trailer must stay 500 feet behind other vehicles.
Tires and windows: a tire with less than 1/16 inch of tread is illegal. Your view must be clear of frost, ice and snow.
Alcohol and cannabis: a driver can be arrested for DWI at 0.04 if alcohol caused driving errors. No open alcohol container in the vehicle, and no use of cannabis or open cannabis packages in the passenger area. A first alcohol-related revocation carries a $680 reinstatement fee.
Losing your license: besides tickets and DWI, you can lose it for letting someone else use your license, not appearing in court or paying a fine, using your license to buy tobacco for someone under 18 or alcohol for someone under 21, a bad check to DVS, or driving over 100 mph. A limited license may be possible after waiting periods.

Licensing details from the manual

Documents: under the Driver’s License for All law (from October 1, 2023), you can get a standard license or permit regardless of immigration status. REAL ID needs proof of legal presence and two residency documents; an enhanced license needs U.S. citizenship and costs $15 extra.
Who signs for a teen: a parent, court-appointed guardian, county-appointed foster parent or the director of your transitional living program. If parents are divorced, the custodial parent or that parent’s spouse can sign. A foreign exchange student needs notarized parent signatures unless the host family has legal guardianship. The signer can withdraw approval.
Medical conditions: answer the medical questions honestly. If you are diagnosed with epilepsy or another condition that can cause loss of consciousness, send DVS a physician’s statement within 30 days.
Licenses at 15: after driver education and a road test you may qualify for a restricted farm work license (daylight farm work within 40 miles of the farmhouse) or a special medical license. A moped permit at 15 needs a safety course and tests.
Your under-21 license: it is marked “Under 21” and expires on your 21st birthday. After that, licenses are renewed every four years with a vision test. Report a name or address change within 30 days.

Common questions

How old do you have to be to drive in Minnesota?

15 for an instruction permit, 16 for a provisional license, and usually 17 for a full license (after 12 months provisional) or 18.

Do I need driver’s ed in Minnesota?

Under 18, yes. You need the classroom phase before the permit and the full course before the provisional license. Adults do not.

How long do I need to hold my Minnesota permit?

Six months if you are under 18 or exactly 18, and three months if you are 19 or older.

Can I drive alone at night on a Minnesota provisional license?

In the first six months, not between midnight and 5 a.m. unless driving to or from work or a school event without school transport, driving for work, or with a licensed driver 25 or older.

Can I take the Minnesota knowledge test online?

Yes, through a licensed driver education program or another DVS-authorized provider, with a proctor physically present. The provider can charge up to $10.

What if I get a ticket on my provisional license?

A DWI-type or crash-related conviction, or more than one other moving violation, delays your full license by 12 months from the conviction or until 18.

Comparing states? See learning to drive in the USA, US graduated licensing compared and REAL ID and your first license.

Sources

Minnesota Legislature, Office of the Revisor of Statutes, “Minnesota Statutes 2026, section 171.05 Instruction permit” (revisor.mn.gov)
Minnesota Legislature, Office of the Revisor of Statutes, “Minnesota Statutes 2026, section 171.055 Provisional license” (revisor.mn.gov)
Minnesota Legislature, Office of the Revisor of Statutes, “Minnesota Statutes 2026, section 171.04 Persons not eligible for drivers’ licenses” (revisor.mn.gov)
Minnesota Legislature, Office of the Revisor of Statutes, “Minnesota Statutes 2026, section 171.06 Application for permit or license; fees” (revisor.mn.gov)
Minnesota Legislature, Office of the Revisor of Statutes, “Minnesota Statutes 2026, section 171.13 Examination” (revisor.mn.gov)
Minnesota Legislature, Office of the Revisor of Statutes, “Minnesota Statutes 2026, section 171.0701 Driver education content” (revisor.mn.gov)
Minnesota Legislature, Office of the Revisor of Statutes, “Minnesota Statutes 2026, sections 169.14, 169.18, 169.444, 169.475, 169.686 and 169.09” (revisor.mn.gov)
Minnesota Legislature, Office of the Revisor of Statutes, “Minnesota Statutes 2026, sections 169A.20, 169A.33 and 169A.52” (revisor.mn.gov)
Minnesota Legislature, Office of the Revisor of Statutes, “Minnesota Statutes 2026, section 65B.48 Reparation security compulsory” (revisor.mn.gov)
Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Driver and Vehicle Services, “Get ready for your driver’s road test” and “Minnesota Driver’s Manual” (June 2026; Fleeing a police officer, Revocation) (dps.mn.gov)

Learning to Drive in Minnesota: Permit to Full License