How to get a Colorado driver's license

Requirements by age

Everyone needs the written test and a permit first. That includes adults who've never had a license, and anyone whose license has been expired or canceled for more than a year.

Step by step

1. Study the Colorado Driver Handbook and pass the written test, online with @Home or at a driver license office.
2. Pre-register online, book a permit appointment, and bring your documents. You'll take a vision test and have your photo and fingerprints taken.
3. Drive with a licensed driver 21 or older in the front passenger seat. Your permit is good for three years or until you turn 21, whichever comes first.
4. Under 16 and a half, do 6 hours of behind-the-wheel training with an approved school.
5. Book and pass the drive test with an approved third-party tester.
6. Upgrade to your license online or at an office. A paper temporary license covers you until the card is mailed, within 30 days.

Rules for your first year on a minor license

• No driving between midnight and 5 a.m., unless you're with a parent or guardian, going to or from school or work with a signed statement, or in a medical emergency.
• For the first six months, no passengers under 21 unless a parent or other licensed adult is in the car. Brothers and sisters are an exception. Passenger limits continue into the second six months, so check the DMV's current wording.
• Under 18, no texting or phone calls at all while driving, except to call police in an emergency.
• Everyone in the car wears a seat belt.

Checking your license status, and renewals

Cards are mailed. If yours hasn't arrived within 30 days, check its status with the 'Where is my license' tool on myDMV, or call 303-205-5600 (press 1, then 3).

Many Colorado drivers can renew online or by mail. A minor license expires 20 days after your 21st birthday, and you can renew from that birthday on.

New to Colorado?

If you have a valid license from another state, you transfer it: bring the out-of-state license plus the usual documents. If it's been expired more than a year, you take the written test and other tests again. Some countries have agreements with Colorado that waive testing.