Ohio Driver’s License 2026: Steps, Probationary Rules, Fees

How do you get an Ohio driver’s license?

The Digest lists the steps:

Gather your identity documents from the Acceptable Documents List.
Study the Digest and pass the knowledge test and vision screening.
Get your temporary instruction permit identification card (TIPIC).
Under 21, or as a temporary resident 21 or older, finish driver education and the required driving hours.
Schedule and pass the driving test: maneuverability and on-road.
Buy your license at a deputy registrar license agency.

See how to get your temps →See the driving test →

What to bring to the deputy registrar

To buy the license, bring:

Your TIPIC, which you surrender
Documents that prove your full legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, Ohio residency, and citizenship or legal presence
Under 21, or a temporary resident 21 or older: the notarized BMV 5791 Fifty-Hour Affidavit
21 or older, if it applies to you: the notarized BMV 5789 Twenty-Four Hour Affidavit
Under 18: a parent or guardian with a driver’s license or ID card, to co-sign

You can use Get In Line Online before you visit; the BMV locations page explains it.

See BMV locations →

Compliant or Standard card

You choose the card type, and both come by mail. A Compliant card meets federal travel security rules, which you need to fly commercially or enter federal facilities and military bases. It takes two documents proving your Ohio street address. A Standard card doesn’t meet those rules, so you’d use it with a passport or another document the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) accepts.

The Ohio probationary license (under 18)

In the first 12 months of holding your license:

No driving from midnight to 6 a.m., unless a parent or guardian is with you, or you’re driving to or from work (form BMV 2825) or an official school or religious event (form BMV 2826)
No more than one passenger who isn’t family, unless a parent or guardian is with you
You and every passenger wear safety belts, with no more people than belts
No phones or other devices while driving

After 12 months, and until 18, the night limit becomes 1 a.m. to 5 a.m., with the same exceptions. The BMV’s teen page also lets a licensed driver 21 or older named on a notarized form BMV 2438 stand in for a parent at night. A traffic conviction in the first six months may mean a parent or guardian must ride with you for six months, or until you turn 17.

Suspensions before 18

The BMV suspends a license automatically for a driver under 18 after:

Two moving violations: three months (90 days)
Three moving violations: one year
A probationary conviction for operating a vehicle under the influence (OVI): six months

Getting the license back includes a TIPIC, a juvenile driver improvement course and passing the driving test again.

Co-signing for a teen

The parent or guardian who co-signs is jointly liable with the teen for damage caused by negligence or willful misconduct behind the wheel, until the teen turns 18. A co-signer can cancel at any time by mailing the license or TIPIC, or a notarized letter asking for cancellation, to Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Attn: License Control, P.O. Box 16521, Columbus, Ohio 43216.

Ohio driver’s license fees

The BMV’s fee list (last updated September 30, 2025) gives these amounts, deputy registrar fee included:

Item	Fee
First license, age 16	$28.75
First license, age 17	$27.50
First license, age 18	$26.25
First license, age 19	$25.00
First license, age 20	$23.75
First license, 21 or older, 4 years	$27.50
First license, 21 or older, 8 years	$54.00
Renewal, 4 years	$30.25
Renewal, 8 years	$59.40
Duplicate	$29.00

A 100% documented disabled veteran pays nothing for a renewal or duplicate.

Renewing your license

A license issued under 21 expires on your 21st birthday, and you renew it in person, no more than 30 days before. From 21 to 64, if you qualify, you may choose an 8-year license instead of 4 years. From 65, a license lasts four years and can’t be renewed online.

You can renew online through BMV Online Services if you qualify, or at any deputy registrar. There’s no grace period. If your license has been expired for more than six months, you start again with a TIPIC and the tests.

Moving to Ohio

You’re a resident once you take a job, sign a lease, buy a home or enroll children in school, and you have 30 days to get an Ohio license. At 16 or older with an unexpired license from another state, take it and your documents to a deputy registrar, where you pass a vision screening. If your old license has expired, you go through the testing process.

Sources: Ohio Department of Public Safety · Ohio BMV and 5 more. Checked November 2026.