Photo: Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
If you are under 21 and your New Jersey permit was issued on or after February 1, 2025, you must complete at least 50 hours of supervised driving, including 10 hours in darkness, before you can get a probationary license. A parent, guardian or supervising driver certifies the hours on MVC form BA-CSD. This checklist covers who it applies to, who can supervise, how to log hours and what the form says.
Key facts
- Minimum: 50 hours, of which at least 10 are in darkness.
- Applies to: special learner and examination permit holders who were under 21 when the permit was issued on or after February 1, 2025.
- Does not apply to: permits issued before February 1, 2025, or applicants aged 21 or older when their permit was issued.
- Proof: form BA-CSD only (rev 1/25), printed and signed by hand.
- Penalty for a false certification: the applicant’s driving privileges are suspended for 6 months.
Does the 50-hour rule apply to me?
| Your situation | 50 hours needed? |
|---|---|
| Under 21, permit issued on or after February 1, 2025 | Yes |
| Permit issued under 21, but you turn 21 before getting your license | Yes (MVC FAQ) |
| Permit issued before February 1, 2025 | No |
| 21 or older when the permit was issued | No (3 months of supervised practice still required) |
Who can supervise practice driving in New Jersey?
Your supervising driver must sit in the front seat and:
- be at least 21,
- hold a valid New Jersey driver’s license for the type of vehicle used,
- have at least 3 years of driving experience.
The person who signs form BA-CSD must be your parent or guardian, or someone at least 21 with a valid New Jersey license who supervised your practice. If you commit a traffic offense while practicing, the manual says responsibility is shared with the supervising driver.
Checklist: completing your 50 hours
- Get your permit validated. Hours only count once your permit is validated for practice. Under a special learner permit, that happens after your 6-hour driving school course.
- Follow permit rules every drive: decals on both plates, no phone use, seat belts for everyone, one extra passenger at most unless a parent or guardian is present, and no driving 11:01 p.m. to 5:00 a.m.
- Log each session. The MVC recommends the log in its Share the Keys Teen Driver Guide. Write the date, start and end time, and whether it was dark.
- Plan your 10 darkness hours. Because of the curfew, night practice has to happen before 11:01 p.m. In winter it gets dark early, which makes these hours easier to fit in.
- Spread the hours across the 6 months. You need both the 6-month minimum and the 50 hours.
- Print form BA-CSD and have your parent, guardian or supervising driver print their name, sign by hand and date it.
- Bring the signed form to your road test appointment and when you get your probationary license.
What form BA-CSD says
The one-page Certification of Supervised Driving has the signer certify that:
- they are the parent or guardian, or are at least 21 with a valid New Jersey license, and supervised the practice;
- the applicant completed at least 50 hours of supervised driving, including 10 in darkness;
- all hours were supervised by someone at least 21 holding a valid New Jersey license for the vehicle used.
The form warns that a fraudulent certification brings a 6-month suspension for the applicant.
Is the Share the Keys log enough?
No. The MVC says only form BA-CSD meets the requirement. The driving log and the certification form in the Share the Keys guide are recommended for tracking but are not accepted as proof, and the MVC does not ask you to submit the log.
A practice plan that covers the road test
This order is a suggestion, not an MVC rule. Build each stage on the one before.
- First 10 hours: an empty parking lot. Starting, steering, smooth stopping, reversing in a straight line.
- Next 15 hours: quiet residential streets. Stop signs, turns, yielding, intersections.
- Next 15 hours: busier roads and highways. Lane changes, merging, following distance. See freeway driving for new drivers.
- Throughout: 10 darkness hours, plus parallel parking and turning around, which are on the New Jersey road test.
Common questions
Do driving school hours count toward the 50?
The MVC pages do not say whether the 6 hours of behind-the-wheel instruction count toward the 50 supervised hours. Ask your driving school or the MVC before you rely on them.
What counts as darkness?
The MVC does not define it. As a reference, the manual requires headlights from half an hour after sunset to half an hour before sunrise.
Do I have to submit my driving log?
No. Only the signed BA-CSD form is required.
Can a grandparent or older sibling supervise?
Yes, if they are at least 21, hold a valid New Jersey license and have at least 3 years of driving experience.
Can my supervisor have an out-of-state license?
The permit rules require a valid New Jersey license, so an out-of-state license does not meet the requirement.
How does this compare with other states?
See supervised driving hours by state.
Back to the complete New Jersey learner guide, or read the New Jersey permit guide.
Sources
- New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, “Certification of Supervised Driving (BA-CSD)” (nj.gov)
- New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, “NJMVC to Begin Implementing Law Requiring 50 Hours of Practice Driving for Under-21 Permit Holders” (nj.gov)
- New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, “First Driver License/ID: Age 16” (nj.gov)
- New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, “First Driver License/ID” (nj.gov)
- New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, “New Jersey Driver Manual 2026” (nj.gov)