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Maine · Permit test

How to get a Maine driver’s license

Anyone applying for a first license passes the Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) written test, a vision screening and the road test. The rest of the route to a Maine driver’s license depends on your age: under 18, you also need driver education and start on an intermediate license, and under 21, you hold the permit six months and log your practice first.

  • 16Youngest age for a license, with driver ed
  • 6 yearsHow long a Class C license lasts, under 65
  • 3 to 4 weeksTime for an ordered license to arrive
See the BMV’s age rulesFree practice test

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

What do you need for a Maine driver’s license at your age?

The BMV sorts first-time drivers into three age groups, each with its own requirements:

Your ageDriver edPermit waitDriving log
Under 18Required6 monthsRequired
18 to 20Not required6 monthsRequired
21 or olderNot requiredNoneNot required

“Permit wait” is the least time on the permit before you can ask for the road test. The driving log is the supervised practice the permit page explains. A motorcycle permit has its own steps, with a rider course first.

Permit rules and the log →Motorcycle permit steps →

The intermediate license, under 18

A license issued before you turn 18 is an intermediate license. For the first 270 days, you may not:

  • Carry passengers other than immediate family, unless a licensed driver who meets the permit supervisor rules sits beside you
  • Drive between midnight and 5 a.m.
  • Use a handheld phone or other handheld electronic device while you drive, unless you’ve pulled over and stopped safely

Immediate family means grandparents, parents, brothers and sisters, children and spouses, step relations included, plus a foreign exchange student or someone under a family member’s guardianship who lives with you. Breaking one of these rules adds another 270 days of limits, even past your 18th birthday. It also brings a fine of $250 to $500 and a suspension: 60 days the first time, 180 days the second and a year after that.

The provisional license

Your first license is provisional for two years if you get it under 21, or one year if you’re 21 or older. The two years don’t end early when you turn 21. During that time, a conviction for any moving violation suspends your license: for 30 days the first time, 180 days the second and a year the third.

Under 21, there’s zero tolerance for alcohol. You may not drive after drinking any amount, and driving with any alcohol in your blood, or refusing a test, costs you your license for at least a year.

Getting the license card

For your photo license, you show:

  • Proof of Maine residency
  • Proof of U.S. citizenship or of your legal presence in the U.S.
  • Two documents proving who you are, one with your date of birth and one with your signature
  • A completed vision screening
  • Your Social Security number, if the BMV doesn’t have it. If you believe you aren’t eligible for one, an unexpired immigration document such as an I-94

Under 18, a parent or legal guardian comes with you to sign. If your name has legally changed, bring the court papers, divorce decree or marriage certificate.

License fees and renewal

The BMV lists these fees for a first license or a renewal:

ItemFee
Class C license$30
REAL ID Class C license$55
Class C license, 65 or older$20
REAL ID Class C, 65 or older$40

A license is valid until your sixth birthday after it’s issued, or your fourth if you’re 65 or older. The BMV mails a renewal notice about 45 days before it expires, and you must tell the BMV within 30 days if your name or address changes.

Points and suspensions

The Secretary of State gives demerit points for some traffic convictions. At 6 points you get a warning, and at 12 or more your license is suspended. Points come off your record once they’re a year old, and each calendar year with no convictions or suspensions earns a violation-free credit point, up to four.

Finishing the Maine Driving Dynamics Course or another approved driver improvement course takes three points off your total, once in any 12 months.

The Driving Dynamics course →

Moving to Maine, or driving here on another license

Once you become a Maine resident, you have 30 days to surrender your out-of-state license and apply for a Maine one. With a valid out-of-state license, the written test and road test may be waived, but if you’re under 18 you may have to show proof of an approved driver education course.

A visitor who is at least 16 and holds a valid license or learner’s permit from their home state can drive in Maine without a Maine license. On a permit, a supervising driver who is at least 20 and has held a license for two years rides with you.

Sources: Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles · Maine Legislature, Office of the Revisor of Statutes and 6 more. Checked November 2026.

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

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