Montana Motorcycle License 2026: Endorsement, Tests and Fees

How do you get a Montana motorcycle license?

You need to hold a basic driver license or be eligible for one. Then:

Study for the written test: the MVD’s motorcycle page names the Montana Motorcycle Supplement, and the manual names the Motorcycle Operator Manual
Pass the vision test and the motorcycle written test
Book and pass the motorcycle skills test. If you show the card from a Montana-approved Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) Basic Rider Course, the MVD may waive it

Skills tests depend on the weather and aren’t given on wet roads. The manual says an MSF course counts toward a waiver if you passed it in the past year. With an MSF card from another state, mail the Motorcycle Skills Waiver Application (21‑1304) to the MVD headquarters in Helena. If you’re converting an out-of-state license with a motorcycle endorsement, the written and road tests may be waived. A three-wheel vehicle doesn’t need an endorsement.

The motorcycle learner license

Pass the motorcycle written test and pay the fee, and you get a motorcycle learner license, valid for a year. State law sets these rules while you ride on it:

Carry no passenger
Carry the learner license with you
Ride under the visual supervision of a licensed driver with a motorcycle endorsement, riding with you on a separate motorcycle or other vehicle
After a motorcycle safety course through a certified testing program, the supervisor can be any licensed driver in a separate vehicle
Under 18, your supervisor is at least 18

Montana motorcycle license fees

The MVD’s fee page lists:

Item	Fee
Learner license, ages 21 to 67	$4.12
Endorsed license at 16, until 21	$28.84
Endorsed license, ages 21 to 63	$68.50
Endorsed, 21 to 63, with REAL ID	$71.59
Replacement license	$10.30

The amounts include all administrative costs, and they also apply to a motorcycle-only license.

Teen riders and keeping it valid

Under 18, a motorcycle-only endorsement counts as a restricted license under state law, so the first-year limits apply. For the first six months, you can’t carry a passenger under 18.

Your endorsement expires with your driver license, so renewing the license on time keeps it without a retest.

First-year limits and renewal →

Sources: Montana Motor Vehicle Division · Montana Legislature and 3 more. Checked November 2026.