Montana Driver’s License 2026: Steps, Teen Limits and Fees

What are the Montana driver’s license requirements?

A Class D license lets you drive any non-commercial vehicle under 26,000 pounds gross vehicle weight. At 18 or older, the manual says you get one if you:

Prove your authorized presence, identity and Montana residency
Pass the required license tests
Turn in any other driver licenses
Meet the medical requirements for the license you want
Haven’t been found by a court to be mentally incompetent, alcoholic or a habitual user of illegal drugs

Under 18, a parent, guardian or responsible adult must also consent, and the three-step graduated driver licensing (GDL) program applies. You can’t get or keep a Montana license while you’re suspended or revoked in any other state.

The driving age, step by step →Learner permit rules →

The first-year restricted license, under 18

Pass the road test under 18, and your license carries a restriction code on the front and back. For a year:

Everyone in the car wears a seatbelt
You don’t drive between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m., except for emergencies, farm-related work, travel to and from school, church or work, and purposes your parent authorizes
For the first six months, you carry only one unrelated passenger under 18, unless a licensed driver 18 or older is supervising
For the second six months, the limit is three unrelated passengers under 18

A police officer may contact your parent to check why you’re driving during the night hours. A first violation brings 20 to 60 hours of community service, and a second suspends your license for six months. The limits end on the date on the back of your license, or when you turn 18 if that comes first.

Montana driver’s license fees

The MVD’s fee page prices a license by your age when it’s issued, and the same amounts apply to a learner license. Some of the amounts:

Item	Fee
License at 15, valid until 21	$31.42
License at 16, valid until 21	$26.27
License at 17, valid until 21	$21.12
License at 18, valid until 21	$15.97
License at 21 to 63, for 12 years	$62.32
REAL ID license at 21 to 63	$67.47
Replacement license	$10.30

The amounts include all administrative costs. A REAL ID license lasts 8 years, and the fee page has the amount for every other age.

Renewing, replacing and changing your address

A license issued before you turn 21 expires on your 21st birthday. After that, state law sets a standard license at up to 12 years, or until your 75th birthday if that comes first, and up to 4 years from age 75.

You can renew up to six months before your license expires, or up to a year after, without retesting. Once it’s been expired for more than a year, you apply again from the start and pass the licensing tests again. Online or mail renewal needs a license that was last renewed or issued in person, and the MVD sends the card by mail in about two to four weeks.

If your license is lost, apply for a replacement online, at an exam station or by mail with form 21‑2000. When you move, tell the MVD’s Driver Services Bureau within 10 days; updating the record by mail with form 34‑0300 is free, and a card printed with your changed address costs the replacement fee. The MVD’s online Status Check shows your license status from your name, license number, date of birth and the last four digits of your Social Security number.

Moving to Montana with another license

If you move to Montana and make it your permanent home, you can drive on your valid out-of-state license for up to 60 consecutive days, then surrender it for a Montana one. The manual says you can exchange a valid license you have with you without a written or road test, and state law asks for a vision exam.

Montana also has reciprocity agreements with Taiwan and the Republic of Korea, so a valid license from either can be transferred without knowledge or skills tests. Active-duty military personnel and their families can keep driving on a valid out-of-state license unless they take a job here.

REAL ID and your license card

Montana doesn’t require REAL ID, but from May 7, 2025, you need a REAL ID license or ID, or another accepted ID such as a passport, to fly within the U.S. and to enter federal facilities. A REAL ID card has a star inside a circle in the upper right corner.

For REAL ID, your documents must be certified, and the MVD has its own list: one document proving your name, date of birth and authorized presence, two proving your Montana residency, and one for each legal name change. The card can also carry a citizenship marker and an organ donor marker.

The state ID card →

Sources: Montana Motor Vehicle Division · Montana Legislature and 8 more. Checked November 2026.