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Illinois · Written exam

The Illinois instruction permit

At 15, you may get your learner’s permit once you’re enrolled in driver education. An Illinois instruction permit lets you practice with a qualified adult, and under 18 it’s the permit phase of the Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) program, with its own limits on night driving, passengers and phones.

  • 15Youngest age, with driver ed
  • 9 monthsShortest time to hold it, under 18
  • 24 monthsHow long the permit is valid
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Updated November 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

How do you get an Illinois instruction permit?

From 15 to 17, you visit a Secretary of State (SOS) facility and:

  • Show proof from your driver education provider that you’re enrolled in an approved course, or will start one within 30 days
  • Pass the vision screening and the written exam for the license class you want
  • Bring your identification documents
  • Pay the permit fee (the driver’s license page lists it)

From 17 and 3 months, you may apply for a permit without taking a driver education course.

See what to bring →Find a driver’s ed course →

Who can sit beside you

On a permit, you drive with one of these people in the front passenger seat:

  • Your adult instructor, during the behind-the-wheel part of driver education
  • A parent, legal guardian or responsible adult who is 21 or older, has a valid license and has at least one year of driving experience

Once you finish the course, you keep practicing with a responsible adult in the same way.

Permit phase rules under the GDL program

Under 18, the permit phase comes with these rules:

  • No driving from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday through Thursday, or from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. on Friday and Saturday (local curfews may differ)
  • Hold the permit for at least nine months
  • Practice at least 50 hours, 10 of them at night, supervised by a parent or an adult 21 or older with a valid license
  • No driving infractions, underage alcohol convictions or court supervisions during those nine months
  • One passenger in the front seat, and no more passengers in the back than there are safety belts
  • No phone use at all while driving, hands-free included, except to contact police, a health care provider or emergency services in an emergency

The phone rule lasts until you turn 19. Breaking the night rule may get your driving privileges suspended.

Logging the 50 hours

Illinois law asks drivers under 18 for those 50 hours on top of driver education, before a license at 16. The driving log for tracking them is in the Parent-Teen Driving Guide, and you bring it, properly signed, when you apply for your license.

See the license steps →See the road test →

No second fee if you finish in time

If you get your license before the permit expires, you don’t pay another fee for the license.

Sources: Illinois Secretary of State. Checked November 2026.

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

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