How to get a driver’s license in Alaska

Permit, provisional and full license

The Alaska DMV is the Division of Motor Vehicles inside the state Department of Administration. Its main office is at 4001 Ingra Street in Anchorage, and the phone line for all of Alaska is 907-269-5551. Smaller towns are served by city-run contract offices and DMV business partners, and the Mobile DMV visits rural communities for road tests and license processing.

The 40 practice hours must include at least 10 hours in harder conditions, such as at night or in bad weather. That rule comes straight from Alaska law (AS 28.15.055), and in Alaska that can mean snow, ice and long winter darkness, so it’s worth spreading the hours across seasons.

On a provisional license, getting 6 or more points in 12 months, or 9 or more in 24 months, means you have to take a driver improvement course approved by the DMV. The provisional limits don’t apply on an off-system license used in communities that aren’t connected to the highway system.

If you’re 18 or older and have never been licensed, you skip the provisional stage. Pass the knowledge and vision tests, then bring your permit or your knowledge test result (good for one year) to the road test. There’s no six-month permit wait for adults.

Moving to Alaska? You can drive on a valid out-of-state license for up to 90 days. To switch, you usually take the knowledge and vision tests but not the road test. For a CDL, the deadline is 30 days after you become a resident.

Drivers ed in Alaska

Alaska doesn’t require a drivers education course to get a license at any age. What the law does require, for 16 and 17 year olds, is the 40 hours of supervised practice, signed off by a parent, guardian or employer.

Drivers ed still has a place. A student 14 or older in a DMV-approved driver education program can get a restricted instruction permit (shown as class IE) that’s only valid with an approved instructor beside them. Many driving schools are also third-party road testers, so you can learn and test in the school’s car. The DMV lists driving schools and test providers by region.

Later on, a defensive driving course can take points off your record. You can do that once every 12 months.

DMV offices, driving records and ID cards

Most state DMV offices are open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and close from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. on the first Tuesday of each month. Road tests are by appointment only. In Palmer (515 E. Dahlia Ave, Suite 230), car road tests run every weekday, motorcycle tests on Wednesdays from May to September and commercial tests on Thursdays. In Soldotna (43335 Kalifornsky Beach Rd, Suite 9, in the Red Diamond Center), car road tests are on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Eagle River doesn’t do road tests, so book Anchorage instead.

Driving record: Alaskans can order their own online for $10. There are full, insurance and CDL employment versions.

ID card: anyone living in Alaska can get one. As of October 2026 it’s $15, or $35 as a REAL ID, and a standard ID is free at 60 and older.

Off-system communities: if your town isn’t on the road system and road tests aren’t offered there at least once a year, you may qualify for a restricted off-highway license without a road test. You can remove the restriction later by passing a road test.