How to get a Kentucky driver's license

Steps by age

A permit is $15, or $18 for REAL ID. A 4-year license is $21.50, or $24 for REAL ID, as of October 2026.

Kentucky's graduated license for teens

1. Learner's permit: pass the vision and written tests at 15 and get the permit at a Regional Office. Bring a parent or guardian, your birth certificate, Social Security card, a proof of residency and the TC 94-200 school form.
2. Practice for 180 days with a licensed driver 21 or older in the front seat, and log 60 hours, 10 of them at night.
3. Intermediate license: at 16, pass the KSP road test. The examiner adds an Intermediate License sticker to your permit, and you pay $15 ($18 for REAL ID) at a Regional Office.
4. Take the 4-hour graduated licensing course before you turn 18: Alive at 25 (free), RightLane online ($12.50), a high school course or an approved driving school.
5. Full license: at 17, after 180 days on the intermediate license and with the course done, visit a Regional Office with a parent or guardian. If you turn 18 first, you can apply once the course is done without waiting out the 180 days.

Intermediate license rules

• You can drive alone, but not between midnight and 6 a.m. unless you have good cause, such as an emergency, school or work.
• Under 18, only one unrelated passenger under 20.
• Under 21, the alcohol limit is 0.02.
• A moving violation, a DUI or breaking these rules adds at least 180 days before you can get a full license. A driver under 18 with more than six points may be suspended.
• A parent or guardian can withdraw consent at any time, which cancels the permit or license.

Adults and new residents

If you're 18 or older and new to driving, you skip the intermediate license and the course. You still take the written and vision tests, hold the permit for 180 days (18 to 20) or 30 days (21 and older), then pass the road test.

If you move to Kentucky, you have 30 days to get a Kentucky license. A valid out-of-state license, or one expired less than a year, transfers without testing. Bring it with your identity, Social Security and residency documents to a Regional Office.

Kentucky license laws to know

• Kentucky's point system can suspend you at 12 points in two years, or 7 if you're under 18. Points expire after two years.
• You must update a new address or name on your license within 10 days.
• Licenses last 4 or 8 years. Under 21, a license expires 90 days after your 21st birthday.