Getting your Delaware learner permit

By the end of this topic you can

• You can list what a teen needs to bring to apply for a Level One permit.
• You can explain who can act as your sponsor.
• You can describe the vision standard and the fee.
• You can explain how the adult permit route differs.

What you need to know and understand

• Under 18, you cannot be licensed without passing a Department of Education approved driver education course.
• The course gives you the Delaware Driver Education Certificate, often called the Blue (or Blue/White) Certificate.
• A sponsor must sign your application in front of a DMV licensing employee.
• The fee is $50, which covers the 8-year Class D license and the permit before it.
• Minimum vision is 20/40, with or without glasses or contacts.
• You apply in person at a DMV office in Delaware City, Dover, Georgetown or Wilmington.
• Adults get a permit after passing the eye screening and knowledge exams, and it is valid for 12 months.

Checklist for teen applicants

1. Finish an approved driver education course and get your Blue Certificate. Teens take their written and road tests with the driver education teacher. A course taken in another state must first be approved by the Delaware Department of Education.
2. Gather documents proving your identity and legal presence, your Social Security number if you are eligible, and two proofs of Delaware residency.
3. Bring your sponsor. They sign the application in person at the DMV.
4. Pass the eye screening at the DMV and pay the $50 fee. The DMV accepts cash, check, money order and major cards.

Proving where you live

Residency proofs must come from two separate sources and show your physical address, not a P.O. box. Mail must have been delivered by the U.S. Postal Service and be postmarked or received within the last 60 days. Photocopies and printouts are not accepted. The two residency proofs are waived for a GDL applicant if the sponsor is a licensed Delaware driver who lives at the same address.

Who can be your sponsor

The first choice is a parent you live with. If you live with neither parent, a parent living in Delaware or a court-appointed guardian may sign. Parents are checked against your birth certificate. A stepparent cannot sponsor you unless they adopted you or were appointed your guardian. In unusual cases the DMV's Chief of Driver Services can approve another suitable person.

Applying as an adult

At 18 or older you may skip the GDL program. You pay on application, pass the eye screening and the knowledge exams, and receive a learner's permit valid for 12 months. You must drive only with a licensed driver aged 21 or older beside you, and you must pass every exam within those 12 months. If your vision is between 20/40 and 20/50, the DMV may allow daylight-only driving. Our guide to learning to drive in Delaware covers both routes step by step.

Common mistakes

• Bringing printed bank statements or photocopies as proof of address. Bring original mailed documents from the last 60 days.
• Arriving without your sponsor. The sponsor must sign in front of DMV staff.
• Expecting a stepparent to sign. Unless they adopted you or are your legal guardian, they cannot.
• Forgetting glasses or contacts for the eye screening if you normally wear them.

Test yourself: Getting your Delaware learner permit

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

Go deeper

• Delaware Permit Test
• Delaware Permit Practice Test
• Learning to Drive in Delaware