After you pass in Michigan: restrictions and your licence

By the end of this topic you can

• You can explain what happens between passing the test and receiving your license.
• You can list the Level 2 restrictions and their exceptions.
• You can say when and how restrictions lift at Level 3.
• You can describe what changes at ages 18 and 21.
• You can explain how probation affects new adult drivers too.

What you need to know and understand

• The Driving Skills Test Receipt is not a license.
• Level 2 drivers may not drive between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. unless an exception applies.
• Level 2 drivers may carry no more than one passenger under 21, unless an exception applies.
• Exceptions include a parent, guardian or licensed adult 21 or older in the car, work, and authorized activities; immediate family passengers are also allowed.
• Kelsey's Law bans Level 2 drivers from using a phone while driving, except in emergencies.
• Level 3 is issued automatically at no fee from age 17 after six months on Level 2 and 12 clean months.
• Drivers under 21 get a vertical license marked Under 21 that expires on their 21st birthday.

From receipt to license

Teens move to Level 2 automatically, with no office visit, once they are 16, have passed the skills test, have held Level 1 for six months and have a clean 90 days. Adults use their skills test receipt to print a temporary operator's license from their online Department of State account once the results arrive, and the plastic license is mailed in about three weeks. If results do not show within 24 hours, visit an office with your receipt, TIP and identification.

Living with Level 2

Breaking a GDL restriction is a violation that can delay Level 3 and lead to a driver assessment reexamination. Parents may also ask the Secretary of State to keep a teen at Level 2.

• Night: no driving from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., unless accompanied by a parent, guardian or designated licensed adult 21 or older, or driving to, from or for work, or to or from an authorized activity such as a school event.
• Passengers: at most one passenger under 21, unless they are immediate family, a licensed adult 21 or older is with you, or you are driving for work or an authorized activity.
• Seat belts: required for everyone in the front seat and every passenger under 16.
• Phones: no calls or texts while driving except to report an emergency.

Level 3, age 18, age 21 and probation

At Level 3 there are no GDL restrictions, though Michigan's general hands-free law still applies. Teens holding Level 2 or Level 3 are mailed an operator's license before turning 18. It is vertical, marked Under 21, and expires on the 21st birthday, when you apply in person for a standard license.

Probation lasts at least three years for every new driver and ends only after 10 straight months with no conviction, suspension or at-fault crash. Our guide to learning to drive in Michigan covers what comes next.

Common mistakes

• Driving friends home after a late game. A school-sanctioned event may count as authorized, but a party does not.
• Thinking an 18-year-old friend counts as a supervising adult. Exceptions need someone 21 or older.
• Taking a quick hands-free call on Level 2. Kelsey's Law bans it.
• Assuming probation is only for teens. Adults new to driving serve it too.

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

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

Go deeper

• Michigan Segment 2 Driver Education
• How to Get a Driver’s License in Michigan
• Michigan 50-Hour Supervised Driving Log