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Rhode Island · Permit test

The Rhode Island learner’s permit, under and over 18

You get a permit by passing the knowledge exam, but what it lets you do depends on your age. Under 18, the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) issues a limited instruction permit and you drive only with a supervising driver. At 18 or older, you get a Rhode Island learner’s permit with a different set of rules, and no course comes first.

  • 16Youngest age for a permit
  • 21Youngest age for your supervising driver
  • 5 yearsLicensing time your supervisor needs
Read the DMV’s permit rulesFree practice test

Updated November 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

How do you get a Rhode Island learner’s permit?

Pass the knowledge exam, then the DMV issues the permit. Under 18, you also need the 33-hour driver education course first, and an adult who signs your application with you: a parent, a legal guardian with court papers, a licensed foster parent with papers from the state’s Department of Children, Youth and Families, or an adult spouse. That adult must live in Rhode Island and qualify as a supervising driver. A parent without a valid Rhode Island license can sign, but can’t supervise your driving.

What to bring to the exam →

Permit rules under 18

State law (R.I. Gen. Laws § 31‑10‑6) sets these conditions for a limited instruction permit:

  • Carry the permit whenever you drive
  • Drive only with a supervising driver seated beside you in the front seat
  • Nobody else sits in the front seat
  • You and every passenger wear a seat belt or sit in a child restraint

The manual adds that your supervising driver is legally responsible for any violation you commit, and must be ready to take control in an emergency. So under 18, you never drive alone on a permit. You can book the road test when you get the permit, for a date after the wait the road test page sets out.

Road test steps →

What are the Rhode Island permit rules over 18?

If you’re 18 or older and have never held a Rhode Island license, or yours expired more than five years ago, you take the knowledge exam for a learner’s permit. Then the DMV’s page says:

  • You may take the road test once you’ve held the permit for 30 days (the road test page has the booking rules)
  • Between getting the permit and taking the road test, you may drive alone, with no supervision
  • The permit is valid for one year and can be renewed once, for one more year
  • After that, you pass the knowledge exam again

State law (R.I. Gen. Laws § 31‑10‑7) sets the same wait before the road test, the one-year term and the single renewal.

Provisional license rules, under 18 →

How long a permit lasts and how to renew it

The DMV’s page says you can renew a learner’s permit by mail, at a drop box or in person with a reservation, but not online. If it has already been renewed and is expiring, or it expired two years ago or more, you take the permit test again.

For an under-18 permit, the sources differ. State law gives it a one-year term that can be extended for hardship (R.I. Gen. Laws § 31‑10‑6), and also says it expires on your 18th birthday (§ 31‑10‑6.3). The DMV’s licensing page says it’s valid for one year or until you turn 18, whichever is greater, and that a permit may be renewed once. The Driver’s Manual and the DMV’s road test page allow up to two renewals. Ask the DMV which applies to you before your permit runs out.

Sources: Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles · State of Rhode Island General Assembly and 6 more. Checked November 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

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