Getting your Louisiana learner permit

By the end of this topic you can

• You can explain why the TIP comes before the learner's permit.
• You can gather the original documents OMV asks for.
• You can explain who must sign for an applicant under 18.
• You can state the vision standard and what happens if you fail it.
• You can describe what driving a learner's permit allows.

What you need to know and understand

• A TIP is available from age 14 and must be obtained before the knowledge test or any behind-the-wheel instruction.
• Teens take a 38-hour course: 30 hours in the classroom and 8 hours behind the wheel.
• The classroom part can start at 14 if you are at least in eighth grade and within 90 days of your 15th birthday. Behind-the-wheel training waits until 15.
• OMV accepts only original or certified documents. Photocopies are refused, even if notarized.
• You need 20/40 vision in one or both eyes.
• The basic license fee is $32.25, and some offices add a small service fee. Converting a TIP to a learner's permit costs nothing extra.
• Male U.S. citizens aged 15 to 26 are automatically registered with the Selective Service System when OMV issues a credential.

Step by step to a learner's permit

1. Visit an OMV office for your TIP with your documents and a parent or guardian.
2. Enroll with an OMV-licensed driving school or a secondary school program.
3. Finish the 30 classroom hours. The knowledge test is usually given when the classroom part ends.
4. Complete the 8 behind-the-wheel hours with your instructor, carrying your TIP.
5. Return to OMV with your TIP and the Certificate of Successful Completion, pass the vision test and receive your learner's permit.

Documents and signatures

• A certified birth certificate (or another primary document such as a passport).
• Proof of your Social Security number, such as the card, a W-2 or a Social Security printout. The number may also be given verbally.
• Proof of your Louisiana address.
• The driver education Certificate of Successful Completion when you convert your TIP.
• A custodial parent or legal guardian, with their own ID, to sign. With joint custody only the domiciliary parent may sign, and guardians bring guardianship papers.

Driving on your permit

A learner's permit lets you drive only with a licensed parent, guardian or adult at least 21, or a licensed sibling at least 18. You may not use a phone at all, even hands-free. If you fail the vision screening, OMV gives you a report for an eye specialist to complete, and if you need glasses your license shows restriction code 01. Our Louisiana permit test guide on this site explains the knowledge test in more depth.

Common mistakes

• Bringing photocopies. OMV turns away copies, so bring originals or certified copies.
• Arriving without a parent. Anyone 17 or under needs a custodial parent or guardian present to sign.
• Booking behind-the-wheel lessons before getting a TIP. The law requires the TIP first.
• Forgetting glasses or contacts on test day and failing the vision screening.

Test yourself: Getting your Louisiana learner permit

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

Go deeper

• Louisiana Permit Test
• Louisiana Permit Practice Test
• How to Get a Driver’s License in Louisiana