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Indiana · Permit test

How to get an Indiana driver's permit

You walk into a BMV branch with your documents and pass a vision screening and the knowledge exam. At 15 you must also be enrolled in a BMV-licensed behind-the-wheel course, and from 16 you can apply without driver education. The Indiana driver's permit, which the BMV calls a learner's permit, costs $9 as of October 2026 and is good for two years.

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

What are the Indiana driver's permit requirements by age?

Everyone needs documents, a vision screening and the knowledge exam.

Your ageDriver education
15A Certificate of Driver Education enrollment from a BMV-licensed behind-the-wheel school, dated no earlier than three weeks before class starts
16 and olderNot required

Under 18, you also give an emergency contact who is 18 or older, and an adult signs for financial liability in person. In order, that's the custodial parent, the noncustodial parent, a guardian, or any other adult willing to take it on. The online theory course certificate doesn't count at 15.

What do I need to get my permit in Indiana?

Bring originals or certified copies. The BMV's checklist asks for:

  • One identity document, such as a U.S. passport or a certified birth certificate.
  • One proof of lawful status.
  • One proof of your Social Security number, such as your Social Security card or a W-2.
  • Two proofs of Indiana residency. If you don't have two, an adult 18 or older who lives with you can sign an Indiana Residency Affidavit and show their own ID and residency documents.
  • Your behind-the-wheel enrollment certificate if you're 15, and glasses or contacts if you drive with them.

The BMV doesn't accept a Matricula Consular card for identity or residency.

Indiana BMV: Learner's permit document checklist (PDF) ↗

At the branch

  1. Go to any BMV branch at least 30 minutes before it closes. No appointment needed.
  2. Hand over your documents. Under 18, your adult signs the Agreement of Financial Liability there.
  3. Pass the vision screening.
  4. Pass both parts of the knowledge exam with 80% or more.
  5. Pay the $9 permit fee. Your permanent card is mailed within 14 days.
Indiana permit test →Indiana road signs test →

From permit to driver's license

After at least 180 days on the permit and a 50-hour driving log, you take the driving skills test. The permit rules page has the supervisor and log details, and the driving test page says who can test when.

The BMV's fee chart lists a driver's license for anyone under 75 at $17.50, as of October 2026. If your permit lapses for more than 180 days, you retake the knowledge exam to renew it.

Indiana learner's permit rules →The Indiana driving test →

New to Indiana?

New residents have 60 days to get an Indiana license. If you've never held a license anywhere, you start with an Indiana permit and hold it 180 days. If you're 18 or older with a valid out-of-state license held less than a year, or one expired less than five years, you take the knowledge exam. Expired more than five years, you take the skills test too.

Sources: Indiana BMV · Indiana Driver's Manual, Chapter 1 and 3 more. Checked October 2026.

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

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