Tennessee · Permit testHow do you get a TN driver’s license at 18 or older?
The Department’s steps for adult first-time drivers:
- Apply online in e-Services and upload your documents
- Bring the original documents to a Driver Services Center
- Pass the vision screening and the Class D knowledge test
- Pass the road skills test
If you’re homeless or living in a shelter, affidavit SF-1631 can serve as your second proof of residency.
What is a Class D license in Tennessee?
It’s the regular license for cars, pickup trucks and vans. A few lighter vehicles need a commercial license instead, such as a school bus, and the commercial license page lists them.
Driving people or goods as your main job takes the F endorsement on top, and a motorcycle takes a Class M.
Moving to Tennessee with a license
With a license from another state, you switch at a full-service Driver Services Center. You surrender your old license or bring a driving record from your old state; coming from California, Connecticut, Illinois, Nevada or West Virginia, you need the record. Everyone takes a vision screening, and more tests apply in two cases:
- Your out-of-state license expired more than six months ago: the knowledge test and the road skills test as well
- You’re moving from another country: the knowledge and road skills tests, and you may keep your foreign license
Under 18, the intermediate license page has the rules for a permit or license from another state.
How much is a TN driver’s license?
The Department’s fee page lists these for non-commercial licenses:
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Class D license | $28 |
| Intermediate Restricted License | $24.50 |
| Intermediate Unrestricted License | $2 |
| Moving up to Class D at 18 | $10 |
| First duplicate | $8 |
| Second or later duplicate | $12 |
| ID only, under 18 | $5 |
| ID only, 18 or older | $12 |
| Hardship license (Class H) | $9 |
The Class D amount is the $26 license cost plus the $2 application fee. You can pay with cash, check, money order, or a MasterCard, Visa, American Express or Discover card. Permit fees are on the overview.
Getting a duplicate license
A lost or damaged license is replaced with a duplicate, priced in the table. You don’t need a full-service center for it: the centers page shows the other places that replace licenses, and what county clerks add.
State ID cards and REAL ID
A Tennessee state ID, the “ID only” license, needs no tests, but you prove your identity and residency as for a driver’s license. Under 18, a responsible adult fills in part of the minor/teenage affidavit. The manual adds a permanent ID, free and never expiring, for anyone a licensed doctor certifies can’t drive, and says an expiring ID stops expiring at 65.
A REAL ID is optional in Tennessee. From May 7, 2025, you need one, or a passport, to board a domestic flight or enter federal buildings, military bases and nuclear plants, and the manual says it costs the same as a standard license.
The hardship license at 14
A Class H hardship license can go to a 14-year-old in cases of family hardship, for specific needs. You mail proof of the hardship with the application to the Driver Services Administrative Office. If approved, the license works in daylight hours, to the places named in the approval letter, and it expires on your 16th birthday.
Sources: Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security and 4 more. Checked November 2026.
- Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security: Adult first-time drivers ↗
- Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security: New and returning residents ↗
- Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security: Driver services fees ↗
- Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security: Comprehensive Driver License Manual (PDF, information as of July 1, 2022) ↗
- Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security: Teen and graduated driver license ↗
Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.
Explore
Everything else, in one place
Offices and appointments
Other licenses