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Michigan · Permit test

Michigan driver’s license requirements

The requirements depend on your age and on whether you’ve held a license before. Under 18, you go through driver education and Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL). At 18 or older with no license, you get a temporary instruction permit (TIP) and pass a driving skills test. Three Michigan driver’s license requirements apply to each route: Michigan residency, legal presence and a vision test at a Secretary of State (SOS) office.

  • 4 yearsHow long a license usually lasts
  • 3 weeksAbout how long a mailed license takes
  • 3 yearsProbation for first-time drivers, at least
Read the teen license stepsFree practice test

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

What are the Michigan driver’s license requirements for you?

Find your situation:

Your situationDriver’s edPermitSkills test
Under 18Segments 1 and 2Level 1 licenseRequired
18 or older, never licensedNot requiredTIPRequired
License from another stateNot requiredNot neededNot needed
Canada, Germany or South Korea licenseNot requiredNot neededNot needed
License from another countryNot requiredTIPRequired
License expired four years or moreNot requiredTIPRequired

“Not needed” follows the manual: drivers from another U.S. state, Canada, Germany or South Korea may convert their license without the knowledge test, TIP or skills test. Under 18, GDL is waived if you’ve held a valid license from another state for more than a year.

See the Level 1 rules →Read about the TIP →Leer en español →

What each route needs at the office

Michigan law lets you hold only one valid driver’s license at a time, and the SOS can’t issue an original license to anyone who isn’t a legal Michigan resident. At the office, you:

  • Show the four proofs on the guide’s list: Social Security number, legal presence, identity and residency
  • Pass a vision test
  • Answer a few general health questions
  • Have your photo taken and pay the license fee

You won’t be issued a license if you’ve never been licensed anywhere and have two or more moving violation convictions within three years of applying.

See the documents to bring →

Standard, enhanced and REAL ID licenses

Your license is issued REAL ID compliant unless you opt out. A compliant card has a star in a gold circle, or a star in an image of Michigan, in the upper right corner. To board a domestic flight or enter some federal buildings, military bases and nuclear power plants, you need a REAL ID-compliant card or another accepted document, such as a valid U.S. passport.

An enhanced driver’s license is REAL ID compliant too, and it lets you come back into the United States by land or sea from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean without other identity documents. A standard card without REAL ID says “Not for Federal Identification”, but it’s valid for driving and as ID for things like cashing checks.

Compare the license fees →

Under 21, renewal and probation

A license issued between 18 and 21 is vertical and marked “Under 21”, and it expires on your 21st birthday. Apply again more than 54 days before that birthday and you get another vertical card; within 54 days, it’s horizontal.

After that, a license expires on your birthday in the year printed on it. Every 12 years you renew at an SOS office, with a vision screening and a fresh photo. In between, you may be able to renew by mail, online or at a self-service station, and renewing after the expiration date adds a late fee.

Drivers licensed for the first time, teens and adults alike, are placed on probation. Its last 10 months must be free of at-fault crashes, crashes in which you had been drinking, suspensions and traffic convictions, or the probation is extended.

Moving to Michigan

Once your Michigan residency is established, apply for a Michigan license at an SOS office. Until then, you may use your license from another state. The SOS gets your driving record from your previous state, and a license suspended or revoked there has to be cleared with that state first.

Bring proof of legal presence, identity and residency, and you take a vision test once they’re approved.

Mopeds, motorcycles and other licenses

A valid operator’s or chauffeur’s license covers a moped. Unlicensed teens 15 or older can apply for a moped license with parental approval, and it takes vision, written knowledge and traffic sign tests. A motorcycle needs a CY endorsement, earned with a rider education course or with the motorcycle knowledge and skills tests; the course is required at 16 and 17, and after failing the skills test twice.

See commercial licenses →
Sources: Michigan Department of State and 2 more. Checked November 2026.

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

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