New Hampshire · Knowledge testWho can get a motorcycle permit?
Under New Hampshire’s Revised Statutes Annotated (RSA) 263:32, the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) issues one if you’re:
- 18 or older
- Under 18, and you’ve finished an approved driver’s ed course and hold a valid New Hampshire driver’s license
There’s no riding test for the permit itself.
Riding on the permit
With a motorcycle learner’s permit, you:
- Carry no passengers
- Can renew it once, for the same length of time again
- Can ride any registered two- or three-wheeled motorcycle (RSA 263:30)
The permit ends early if you get your motorcycle license first.
From permit to license
For a motorcycle license or endorsement, you pass a riding test on a motorcycle. The DMV may waive it if you’ve completed a state-approved rider education course, and anyone who fails the riding test twice has to complete the rider education program. A 3-wheel endorsement has its own separate test, doesn’t let you ride a two-wheeled motorcycle and shows on the license as the RTW restriction.
Under 18, you don’t need the supervised driving log for a motorcycle endorsement, but you do need to complete the rider education program (RSA 263:19).
Motorcycle fees and retests
The DMV’s fee page lists:
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Motorcycle only license | $55 |
| First motorcycle or 3-wheel endorsement | $30 |
| Endorsement renewal | $5 |
| Moped license | $8 |
State law adds $5 for the motorcycle rider safety fund to every motorcycle permit, license, endorsement and renewal (RSA 263:34-i), and sets $25 plus that $5 for a permit renewal (RSA 263:42). The fee page lists no separate fee for the permit. Failed and missed tests have the same waits as for a car.
How do you study for the NH motorcycle permit test?
The DMV’s knowledge tests are specific to the license type, so this one isn’t the car test. Section 11 of the car manual covers sharing the road with motorcycles, and the rider course listed with the other ways to learn can stand in for the test.
Sources: New Hampshire General Court · New Hampshire Division of Motor Vehicles and 2 more. Checked November 2026.
- New Hampshire General Court: RSA chapter 263, Drivers’ Licenses ↗
- New Hampshire Division of Motor Vehicles: Licensing fees ↗
- New Hampshire Division of Motor Vehicles: Driver licensing testing requirements ↗
- New Hampshire Division of Motor Vehicles: New Hampshire Driver’s Manual (PDF) ↗
Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.
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