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Rhode Island · Permit test

The RI provisional license and its rules

It’s the second step of Rhode Island’s graduated licensing for drivers under 18, after the limited instruction permit. With an RI provisional license, which the law calls a limited provisional license, you can drive alone from early morning to late evening, with limits on the hours between and on passengers. It ends on your 18th birthday, or earlier if you qualify for a full license at 17.

  • 50 hoursSupervised driving before the road test
  • 12 monthsLimit of one passenger under 21
  • 1 a.m. to 5 a.m.Hours you can’t drive alone, with exceptions
Read the licensing rulesFree practice test

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

How to get a provisional license

State law (R.I. Gen. Laws § 31‑10‑6) and the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) set four steps:

  1. Hold your limited instruction permit for at least six months (the road test page has the booking rules)
  2. Have no conviction for a moving violation or a seat belt violation in the past six months
  3. Pass the road test
  4. Bring an affidavit, signed by a parent or guardian, of your supervised driving hours, at least 10 of them at night. The DMV asks for it notarized.

The hours may include lessons with a driving school. DMV staff can notarize the affidavit when a parent is there and you bring a birth certificate.

Book and pass the road test →

What are the RI provisional license rules?

With the license in your possession, you may drive without supervision:

  • From 5 a.m. to 1 a.m.
  • To or from work, at any hour
  • To or from a volunteer fire, rescue or emergency medical service activity, if you’re a member
  • From 4 a.m. to 5 a.m., between home and a school-sponsored athletic activity the school doesn’t give transportation for

With a supervising driver beside you in the front seat, you may drive at any time. Everyone in the car must wear a seat belt or sit in a child restraint.

The passenger limit

During your first year on the provisional license, you may carry no more than one passenger younger than 21. Immediate family and household members don’t count toward the limit.

Phones under 18

Drivers under 18 may not use a cell phone at all while driving, hands-free devices and speakerphones included. In an emergency, pull over somewhere safe and call 911. The manual lists the fines for a minor as $100, then $150, then $250 and loss of your license until 18 from the third offense.

At any age, state law (R.I. Gen. Laws § 31‑22‑30) bans using a hand-held phone while driving. Adults may use one hands-free.

Moving up to a full license

The provisional license expires on your 18th birthday, when you renew it as a full operator’s license. You can switch earlier, once you’re at least 17, have held the provisional license for a year and have had no moving or seat belt violation conviction in the past six months. A full license has no limits on time of day, supervision or passengers.

That age comes from state law (§ 31‑10‑6) and the DMV’s page. The Driver’s Manual gives 17 years and 6 months, so ask the DMV if you’re between the two.

Driver’s license steps and fees →
Sources: Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles · State of Rhode Island General Assembly and 4 more. Checked November 2026.

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

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