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Connecticut · Permit test

CT driver's license: requirements, steps and fees

You get a permit, train, wait out the permit period and pass a road test. A CT driver's license then costs $84 (as of October 2026) and comes by mail. What changes with age is the training: teens need driver education and a parent class, and adults who've never had a license need an 8-hour course. Drivers from another U.S. state, Canada, Germany or France can transfer their license instead.

Where to study

Updated October 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

How do you get a CT driver's license?

  1. Take the free Work Zone Safety Course and book your knowledge test.
  2. Pass the vision test and the 25-question knowledge test. You need 20 right.
  3. Do your driver training while you hold the permit, with a qualified trainer beside you.
  4. Wait out the permit period: 120 or 180 days for teens, 90 days from 18.
  5. Pass the road test.
  6. Pay $84 for the license, online or in person. It's mailed, usually within 30 days, so keep your permit until it arrives.

CT driver's license requirements by age

16 and 1718 and older
TrainingDriving school, high school or home training, with 40 hours of practice driving8-hour Safe Driving Practices course, if you've never had a license
Parent class2 hours, with a parent or guardianNot required
Time on the permit120 days (school) or 180 days (home)90 days
Restrictions after licensingPassenger limits for a year, curfew and no phones until 18No hand-held phone, like every driver
CT drivers ed in detail →CT driving age rules →

What it costs

FeeAmount
Testing (vision, knowledge and road tests)$40
Learner's permit$19
New driver's license, 5.5 to 7 years$84
Retest after a fail$40
Replacement learner's permit$19
Renewal, 6 or 8 years$72 or $96

Fees are as of October 2026, from the DMV's fee list. Driving school prices are set by each school.

Moving to Connecticut, and the drive-only license

If you hold a license from another U.S. state or territory, Canada, Germany or France, you can transfer it without getting a permit. Out-of-state learner's permits don't transfer, so you start over with a Connecticut permit. If your Connecticut license has been expired for two years or more, you redo all the testing.

Undocumented residents 16 and older can get a drive-only learner's permit and then a drive-only license. The tests and the $40 and $19 fees are the same, and the license costs $36 for three years. It can't be used for federal identification or to vote.

CT DMV: Transfer an out-of-state license ↗CT DMV: Get a drive-only license ↗
Sources: CT DMV and 5 more. Checked October 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

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