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Maryland · Permit test

The provisional license in Maryland, and the step to a full license

It’s the second stage of the Motor Vehicle Administration’s (MVA) Rookie Driver program: you drive on your own, with restrictions, until you’ve shown a clean record. You get a provisional license in Maryland by passing the driving test after your time on a learner’s permit. How long that time is, and how many practice hours you log, depends on your age.

  • 151 daysDays of passenger limits, if you’re under 18
  • 18 monthsClean driving before a full license
  • 16 years and 6 monthsYoungest age for a provisional license
See the provisional rulesFree practice test

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

What do you need for a provisional license in Maryland?

Everyone needs a valid learner’s permit, an approved driver education course, a signed practice log, no moving violation conviction or probation before judgment (PBJ) in the past 9 months, and a pass on the driving test. The rest depends on your age, and on whether you have a high school diploma or a General Educational Development (GED) certificate:

Your ageHold the permitPractice hours
Under 18, or 18 without a diploma or GED9 months60, with 10 at night
18 with a diploma or GED3 months60, with 10 at night
19 to 243 months60, with 10 at night
25 or older45 days14, with 3 at night

At any age, a moving violation conviction or PBJ on your permit means holding it for at least 9 months from that date before the driving test, says the Driver’s Manual. The Rookie Driver Manual adds that it restarts the wait for a full license too.

Keep the practice log →How to book the driving test →

Maryland provisional license rules under 18

If you’re under 18, your provisional license comes with these restrictions:

  • Passengers: for the first 151 days, no passengers under 18 other than immediate family, unless a qualified supervising driver is with you
  • Night: no driving from midnight to 5 a.m., unless a licensed driver at least 21 with 3 years of driving is with you, or you’re driving to or from a job, an official school activity, an organized volunteer program or an athletic event or training
  • Phones: no wireless device at all, hands-free included, except a 911 call in an emergency
  • Seat belts: you wear one on every trip, and every passenger wears a belt or sits in a child safety seat
  • Alcohol: none at all in your system

At 18 or older, the MVA lists one restriction, on alcohol: none at all in your system under 21, and Maryland’s impaired driving laws from 21. The Rookie Driver Manual’s quick reference limits the provisional phone ban to drivers under 18.

Penalties on a provisional license

Breaking a restriction or getting a moving violation brings these penalties, on top of any the court gives:

  • Passenger or night rule broken: a 1-year suspension
  • Phone rule broken: a 90-day suspension can follow
  • Alcohol rule broken: an ignition interlock or a 6-month suspension the first time, and revocation the second
  • First moving violation: a Driver Improvement Program
  • Under 18, second offense: 30 days suspended, then 90 days driving only to work or school
  • Under 18, third offense: the Young Driver Improvement Program, 180 days suspended, then 180 days driving only to work or school
  • Under 18, fourth offense: revocation, and you retake every driving test
  • At 18 or older: 30 days suspended for a second offense, and 180 days for a third or more
  • 5 or more points in 12 months: a 6-month suspension the first time, 12 months after that
  • High-risk driving (speeding, racing, reckless, aggressive or negligent driving): 6 months suspended the first time, a year after that

If you’re under 18, the MVA tells the adult who co-signed your application about a moving violation. That co-signer can also withdraw consent at any time, and the Driver’s Manual says the license then stays canceled until you turn 18, unless someone co-signs a new application.

Moving up to a full license

You move up to a full driver’s license once you’re at least 18, have held the provisional license for the full clean period with no moving violation convictions or PBJs, and, if you’re under 21, have no alcohol-related offenses. A conviction or PBJ starts the period over, from the conviction or PBJ date, or from when a suspended or revoked license was restored.

You don’t need to visit the MVA for the full license. It converts your license on its own and mails you an attachment card showing your full status. Carry the card with your provisional license until that license expires. When you renew, you get a full driver’s license.

Sources: Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration and 3 more. Checked November 2026.

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

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