Getting a Kansas driver's license

Who does what at the Division of Vehicles

KDOR's Division of Vehicles has two driver sections. Driver's License Examination tests everyone who applies for a Kansas driver's license. Driver Solutions keeps driving records and handles traffic convictions, suspensions and revocations. KDOR says every county in Kansas offers driver's license and ID services.

What are the Kansas driver's license requirements?

The handbook says you may get a driver's license if you:

• Are at least 16
• Can prove your name, age and address
• Have finished an approved driver's education course, if you're under 18 and it applies to you
• Have a parent's or guardian's consent, if you're under 18
• Pass the required exams
• Turn in any other driver's licenses or ID cards you hold
• Haven't had your license suspended, revoked, denied or canceled
• Are lawfully present in the United States
• Meet the medical requirements for the license type
• Haven't been found by a court to be mentally incompetent, to have a substance or alcohol abuse problem, or to be a habitual user of illegal drugs
• Have no unpaid fines for moving traffic violations

That list starts at 16, but the same handbook lets 15-year-olds get a restricted license, so read the age line together with the teen rules.

For documents, KDOR's acceptable documents page asks for one proof of identity and lawful presence, one proof of your Social Security number and two proofs of your Kansas address, all originals. Photocopies, faxes and laminated documents aren't accepted.

Steps for a first license

1. Gather your documents from KDOR's acceptable documents list.
2. Pass the vision exam: at least 20/40 in one eye, with or without glasses.
3. Pass the written knowledge test, at an office or online if you qualify.
4. Pass the driving test in a vehicle you provide.
5. Pay the fee. KDOR's FAQ says most cards arrive by mail in 14 to 20 days, and some take up to 45.

License classes and fees

Amounts come from KDOR's fee chart, updated May 2023, and include the $8 photo fee. Over 64, a new Class C with testing is $23. The chart's under-21 rows mix car and motorcycle credentials and don't show a clear car-only price for a new license with testing, so ask the office. The handbook's quiz says a Class C covers vehicles under 26,001 pounds gross weight.

The permit's $10 is $2 plus the $8 photo fee. The chart's notes also charge $3 the first time you take an exam, and no testing fee if you bring a driver's education form.

Offices and appointments

Appointments aren't required, but KDOR says they get priority. Its appointment page lists two booking systems. One covers Andover, Derby, Kansas City (KCK), Lawrence, Manhattan, Mission, Olathe, Overland Park, Topeka, Wichita and Wichita West. The other covers offices including Atchison, Chanute, Colby, Dodge City, Emporia, Garden City, Hays, Hutchinson, Junction City, Leavenworth, Liberal, Pittsburg, Salina and Winfield. KDOR also runs mobile units.

The handbook says not every station gives the knowledge test, so check before you go.

Moving to Kansas

KDOR's FAQ gives you 90 days after you establish residency to get a Kansas license. If your out-of-state license is valid, you show the usual documents plus that license, pass a vision test and pay, with no written or driving test. If it has expired, you also take those tests. An out-of-state permit doesn't transfer. Kansas honors licenses from U.S. territories and Taiwan; with another country's license, you take the vision, written and driving exams. The fee chart adds a $1 penalty if you transfer after 150 days.

Renewals and REAL ID

A vision exam is the only test KDOR requires at every renewal, though an examiner can ask for more. If your license has been expired for a year or more, you take the vision, written and driving exams again. A Class C renewal at 21 to 64 is $26 on the fee chart. You can add REAL ID at any time for $8, and KDOR's FAQ says you present those documents only once.