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Louisiana · Permit test

The Louisiana learner’s permit, and the TIP before it

Louisiana has two permits. The Temporary Instructional Permit (TIP), from age 14, lets you drive only with your driver ed instructor. The Louisiana learner’s permit, from 15, lets you practice with a licensed adult 21 or older or a licensed brother or sister 18 or older, once you’ve finished driver ed and passed the knowledge test.

  • 21+Licensed adult who can ride with you
  • $0To swap your TIP for the permit
  • 180 daysOn the permit before an intermediate license
Read the OMV permit page

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

Who can ride with you on a Louisiana learner’s permit?

State law (R.S. 32:407) lets you drive with a licensed parent or guardian, a licensed adult 21 or older, or a licensed brother or sister 18 or older. The OMV’s student page words it as a licensed family member 18 or older or anyone over 21, but the law limits the 18-year-old to a sibling.

The TIP comes first

You get the TIP at an OMV office before the knowledge test, before any driving lesson and before the road test, and you carry it whenever you drive with your instructor. It costs the same as a Class E license. When you finish driver ed and pass the knowledge test, you hand it back and get your learner’s permit at no extra cost.

TIP and permit fees →Drivers ed classes in Louisiana →

How long you keep the permit

Age you got itWhat’s next
15At least 180 days, and until you turn 16, then an intermediate license
16At least 180 days, or until 17, then an intermediate or full license
17 or olderNo minimum: you can take the road test for a full license
The intermediate license in Louisiana →The Louisiana driving age →

Getting the permit

  1. Finish the 38-hour driver ed course, or the 14-hour pre-licensing course at 18 or older.
  2. Pass the knowledge test with at least 80%.
  3. Visit an OMV office with your TIP, your documents and the sealed envelope from your school.
  4. Pass the vision test with 20/40 vision in at least one eye.
Documents to bring →The Louisiana permit test →Where to study for the knowledge test →
Sources: Louisiana OMV · Louisiana Legislature and 3 more. Checked October 2026.

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

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