Missouri learner's permit rules and the intermediate license

Who can supervise you under the Missouri learner's permit rules?

It depends on your age. The person must sit in the front seat:

• Under 16: a parent, stepparent, grandparent, legal guardian or qualified driving instructor, or someone at least 25 who has held a license for three years and has written permission from your parent or guardian.
• 16 or older: anyone at least 21 with a valid driver license.
• If your parent, stepparent, grandparent or guardian is physically disabled, they can name up to two people to teach you instead.

Everyone in the car wears a seat belt. Carry the permit itself, because the test result form isn't valid for driving. License offices give out free PERMIT DRIVER window signs.

Missouri permit restrictions before you move up

You can get an instruction permit at 15. It's valid for up to 12 months, and you can renew it as many times as you need without retaking the written test. To move up to an intermediate license, you must:

• Hold the permit for at least 182 days, counted from the day after it's issued
• Log 40 hours of driving, at least 10 of them at night, with a parent, stepparent, grandparent, legal guardian or certified trainer
• Have no alcohol-related convictions in the past 12 months and no traffic convictions in the past six months
• Pass the driving test

What is an intermediate license in Missouri?

It's the second step, for drivers 16 to 18. You can drive alone, but with these limits:

• For the first six months, no more than one passenger under 19 who isn't immediate family. After that, no more than three.
• No driving alone from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m., except to and from a school activity, a job or an emergency, unless a licensed driver 21 or older is with you.
• Every passenger must wear a seat belt, not only those in front.

Immediate family means parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, stepbrothers, stepsisters, and adopted or foster children living with you. The passenger limits may not apply when you're driving for farm work. The license costs $14 and lasts up to two years, as of October 2026.

Getting your full license at 18

You can apply at 18, or up to 30 days before your 18th birthday if you meet the other rules. You need an intermediate license that isn't suspended or revoked, and no alcohol offenses or traffic convictions in the past 12 months. You take the vision and road sign tests again, but not the written or driving test. Until 21, your license is marked as a minor's.