After you pass in Arkansas: restrictions and your licence

By the end of this topic you can

• You can say which license you will receive based on your age.
• You can read the main restriction codes on a teen license.
• You can follow the passenger, night and phone limits on an intermediate license.
• You can explain when each limit ends.
• You can explain the early unrestricted license options for 16- and 17-year-olds.

What you need to know and understand

• A learner's license still requires a licensed driver aged 21 or older with you at all times.
• An intermediate license stays supervised until you have six months of experience and have turned 16.
• Intermediate drivers may carry only one unrelated minor passenger unless a licensed adult aged 21 or older is in the front seat.
• Intermediate drivers may not drive from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. unless a licensed adult aged 21 or older is with them or they are going to or from school, church, work or an emergency.
• All passengers must wear seat belts.
• No phone use under 18, even hands-free, except in an emergency.
• A learner's license expires one month after your 16th birthday, and an intermediate license one month after your 18th.
• A Class D license issued between 18 and 21 expires one month after your 21st birthday.

Codes printed on a teen license

The end date of any supervised period is shown on the back of your license.

• Code 2: you are covered by the Arkansas graduated license law (Act 394 of 2009).
• Code 3: you must be with a licensed adult aged 21 or older. This applies to learner's licenses and to intermediate licenses until six months of experience is complete.
• Code 5: all passengers must wear seat belts.
• B: you must wear glasses or contacts while driving, if your vision test required them.

Moving up and when the limits lift

1. Learner's to intermediate: renew on or after your 16th birthday, with no serious violation or at-fault crash in the previous six months.
2. Intermediate to Class D: renew on or after your 18th birthday, with a clean record for the previous 12 months.
3. At 18 to 20: hands-free calls become legal, but hand-held use is only for emergencies.
4. At 21: renew again; a standard Class D then lasts eight years.

An unrestricted license before 18

DFA lets some 16- and 17-year-olds with six months of driving experience get an unrestricted Class D early. You qualify if you are 17 or older and legally emancipated, or 16 or older and have a high school diploma or GED, are married, or have enlisted in the US military. Our deeper guides on the intermediate license curfew and the age waiver explain the details.

Common mistakes

• Assuming the curfew ends at midnight. It runs from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m.
• Driving alone the day after passing at 16 when your six months of supervised experience is not complete. Check the date on the back of your license.
• Giving rides to several friends after school. Only one unrelated minor passenger is allowed without a licensed adult in front.
• Letting the license expire a month after your birthday because you forgot to renew.

Test yourself: After you pass in Arkansas: restrictions and your licence

Answer each question, then read the explanation. Questions come in a random order each time.

Go deeper

• Arkansas Intermediate License
• Arkansas Driver’s License Age Waiver Explained
• Arkansas Driving Test