This is not legal advice and we are not the California DMV. Rules and fees change. Confirm anything that affects you on dmv.ca.gov before you go.
The path
If you do not already have a California license (or a license from another state), you get an instruction permit first. The driving test comes after that.
- Gather papers that prove who you are, where you live, your name, and your Social Security number.
- Fill out the Driver’s License & ID Card application.
- Pay the application fee. It is not refunded. Check the DMV site for the current amount.
- Pass the written test and a vision test.
- Practice driving on the permit with a licensed driver who is allowed to sit with you.
- Book and pass the behind-the-wheel test.
Book a visit at dmv.ca.gov/make-an-appointment. Wait times change by office. Phone: 1-800-777-0133. TTY: 1-800-368-4327.
What to bring
- Who you are — identity.
- Where you live — two proofs you live in California. Some people are excepted.
- Your legal name — if it does not match your identity paper.
- Social Security number — some people are excepted.
The current list of accepted papers is on dmv.ca.gov/realid. Bring the real papers, not photos on your phone.
The instruction permit
- Complete the application.
- Show your papers.
- Pay the fee.
- Pass the written test.
- Pass the vision test.
Full steps: dmv.ca.gov/instructionpermit.
If you are under 18
- Be at least 15½.
- Finish a driver education program.
- Have a parent or guardian sign. If they share custody, both sign.
- Do not use the permit until a teacher starts your behind-the-wheel training and marks the permit.
The written test
You answer multiple-choice questions. You get three tries. After that you must apply again. If you are under 18, you wait seven days after a fail before you try again (not counting the day you failed).
You may not use the handbook or a phone during the test. They also test your vision.
On this site, a practice test like the real one is 36 questions with 6 misses allowed for an adult Class C. Confirm what the DMV will give you when you apply — under-18 tests can be longer.
Practice that test here, free. A right answer passes without comment, the same way the real test does; a miss is explained where it happens, because that is the moment it teaches.
Moving to California with a license
This part is for people who already drive. If you move here holding a valid license from another U.S. state, you do not start over with a permit — but you do have to swap your license for a California one, and there is a written test.
- You have 10 days. Once you become a California resident you must get a California license within 10 days (Vehicle Code §12505, and DMV Fast Facts 5). You count as a resident if you mean to live here six months or more in a year (New to California).
- Your car has a different deadline: 20 days. Do not mix the two up. Same DMV page as above.
- You take the written test. It is on the DMV's list of steps for an out-of-state license (Driver's licenses). Since 2023 you may take it at home, online, before you go in (DMV news).
- You get three tries at it. Fail three times and the application closes and you start again. Same DMV page.
- A driving test is not on the list. The DMV's steps for an out-of-state license do not include one — a license from another country does. The DMV can still ask for a driving test in some cases, for example if you do not pass the eye test, so do not treat it as certain.
- There is an eye test. The standard is 20/40 (Senior drivers).
What to bring, from the DMV's own list: your Social Security number, one identity document (original or certified copy), proof that you live in California, the fee, a thumbprint and a photo. Start the application online, then finish it at an office.
Choosing REAL ID matters here. Every license comes in two versions. A REAL ID lets you board a domestic flight, and it needs two different documents showing your California address rather than one (REAL ID checklist). Written tests are not given after 4:30 p.m., and a driving test always needs an appointment.
If you are 70 or older, the renewal rules are their own subject: the DMV asks you to come in for the eye test, and whether you take a written test depends on the notice they send you (Senior drivers).
Two things we deliberately do not state here, because the DMV does not publish them plainly: whether you hand in your old out-of-state license, and how many questions the adult written test has. Ask at the office, and check every step on dmv.ca.gov before you go — rules and fees change.
From permit to license
- Practice with a California-licensed driver who is at least 18 (25 if you are a minor). They must sit where they can take the wheel.
- Pass the behind-the-wheel test.
If you are under 18 you also need to be 16, hold the permit at least 6 months (or turn 18), finish driver ed and training, and log 50 practice hours (10 at night) with a licensed driver who is at least 25.
If you are under 18
Your first license is limited. For the first year you may not drive between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m., or carry passengers under 20, unless a parent or a licensed driver 25 or older is with you. There are written exceptions (school, work, medical, family) and each needs a signed note.
Drive-test day
Bring your permit, a licensed adult (18+, or 25 if you are a minor), a safe car, insurance, and registration. If it is a rental, your name must be on the contract and the contract must allow a drive test.
If you are under 18 you wait 14 days after a failed drive test (not counting the fail day).
Before you roll, the examiner checks the car: window, glass, mirrors, brake lights, tires, horn, parking brake, signals, belts. If the car fails, they reschedule. The test is not a trick. They will not ask you to do anything illegal.
Practice the written test here
Free practice is real practice. Answers show where they come from. The test-like mode stays quiet on a right answer and explains every miss.