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Vermont · Permit test

How to get a Vermont driver's license

You pass the online permit test from age 15 and hold the learner's permit for at least a year. Then you pass a road test. At 16 or 17 that gets you a junior driver's license, once you've finished driver education and 40 hours of practice. From 18 it's a full Vermont driver's license. If you move here with a license from another state, you have 60 days to switch it.

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

What do you need for a Vermont driver's license at each age?

AgeCredentialWhat you need
15 or olderLearner's permitPass the online permit test. Under 18: a parent's or guardian's signature and a clean record for two years
16 or 17Junior driver's licenseA year on the permit, driver education logged by your instructor, 40 practice hours with 10 at night, six clean months, a parent's signature, then the road test
18 or olderDriver's licenseA year on the permit, then the road test

At 18 you can move from a junior license to a full one, as long as you've had no recall, suspension or revocation in the previous six months. A full license covers any noncommercial vehicle except a school bus or motorcycle, which need more tests.

The Vermont permit test →The Vermont driving test →

Learner's permit rules

  • A licensed and unimpaired parent or guardian, a licensed or certified driver education instructor, or a licensed and unimpaired person 25 or older must ride beside you. The rule doesn't change at 18.
  • With one of them in the front seat, you may drive anywhere in Vermont, at any time.
  • Before driving in another state, check with that state whether a Vermont permit is legal there. Permits from other states are valid in Vermont.
  • Log your 40 practice hours on the DMV's Driving Practice Log Sheet (form VN-210) or the RoadReady app. They're on top of the 6 hours of driving in driver education.

Junior license limits

  • First three months: you drive alone. Passengers are allowed only when a parent, guardian, instructor or licensed person 25 or older is in the front seat.
  • Months four to six: you may also carry immediate family, meaning siblings and parents.
  • After six months: no passenger limit beyond the number of seat belts.
  • No driving for a job for one year, or until you turn 18 if that comes first, and no carrying passengers for hire.
  • No portable electronic devices while driving. A junior operator caught texting gets a 30-day recall, and a single 3-point speeding ticket or 6 points in total brings a 90-day recall.

Moving to Vermont with a license

New residents switch an out-of-state license within 60 days, and a commercial license within 30 days. Bring your license, valid or expired for three years or less, and your identity documents, and you'll take an eye exam. If it's been expired for more than three years, or you have no license, you take the vision, written and road tests.

For drivers under 18 with another state's junior license, the DMV's sources differ. The junior license page says it now transfers like a standard license with no retest and no 40-hour certification, though you still show proof of driver education. The 2025 manual still says you pass eye, written and road tests. Ask the DMV at 802-828-2000 before you book.

Proof of Vermont residency and ID →

Points on your Vermont license

Points go on your record each time you're found guilty of breaking a motor vehicle law, though not for parking or equipment violations. A letter saying your license is to be suspended comes at 10 points, and how long the suspension lasts depends on the points you've had in two years. The manual's examples:

  • Speeding: 2 to 8 points, depending on how far over the limit you were.
  • Texting while driving: 2 to 5 points.
  • Running a stop sign or red light, or driving without a license: 2 points.
  • Not yielding to a pedestrian in a crosswalk: 4 points.
  • Passing a stopped school bus with its red lights on, or not yielding to an emergency vehicle: 5 points.
Sources: Vermont DMV and 3 more. Checked October 2026.

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

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