IN.gov - Skip Navigation

Note: This message is displayed if (1) your browser is not standards-compliant or (2) you have you disabled CSS. Read our Policies for more information.


Print This Page Rate This Page Suggest a Link E-mail This Page HELP Find a Person Find an Agency
Amber Alert
Amber Alert - TEST
Subscribe for e-mail updates

Getting a Learner Permit

The Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles issues two different types of learner permits to individuals who are in the process of learning to drive. The learner permit is for Indiana residents who would like to obtain a driver license without taking a driver education course. The driver education learner permit is for Indiana residents who plan to take a driver education course before applying for their driver license.

Important information on this page:

Getting an Indiana learner permit

A learner permit allows an Indiana resident to practice driving to qualify for an operator license. To obtain a learner permit, an applicant must meet the following requirements:

  • Be at least 16 years old;
  • Present documents of identification proving his or her identity, residency status and Social Security number;
  • Pass a written examination based on information contained in the Indiana driver manual;
  • Pass the standard vision screening test.

If you hold a learner permit, you may not drive alone under any circumstances. If you are younger than 18 years of age, you may practice driving only when a relative with a valid driver license is seated in your vehicle's front passenger seat. If you are older than 18 years of age, an individual with a valid driver license must be seated in your vehicle's front passenger seat; however, this individual does not need to be a relative.

If your learner permit expires it is no longer valid and you must pass the appropriate tests to obtain a new permit. This new permit must be held for 60 days before you may apply for a driver license.

Getting an Indiana driver education learner permit

A driver education learner permit is a limited learner permit that allows a student driver to enroll in a BMV-approved driver education course. To obtain a driver education learner permit, an applicant must meet the following requirements:

  • Be at least 15 years of age;
  • Present documents of identification proving his or her identity, residency status and Social Security number;
  • Show proof of enrollment in a BMV-approved driver education program by providing the certificate of driver education provided by the school;
  • Pass the standard vision screening test.

If  you hold a driver education learner permit, you may not drive alone under any circumstances. You may practice driving only after you have begun a BMV-approved driver education program. You must be accompanied either by a certified driving instructor in the front passenger seat of a vehicle equipped with a dual brake, or by a parent or guardian with a valid driver license seated in the front passenger seat of your vehicle.

Once the holder of a driver education learner permit has successfully completed the driver education program and the driver education instructor validates the permit, the holder may participate in practice driving if a relative with a valid driver license is seated in the front passenger seat.

Your driver education learner permit is not valid if you do not complete the driver education couse or if you do not meet all course requirements. After your 16th birthday, you must visit a license branch to apply for a learner permit. When your driver education permit expires, all driving privileges expire with it. 

The written examination

The written examination is based on information contained in the Indiana driver manual. Passage of the written examination demonstrates basic understanding of Indiana traffic laws and safe driving techniques. Written examinations include multiple choice questions concerning traffic maneuvers, and knowledge of types of traffic signs.

To schedule an appointment for the written examination or roadway skill test, please contact an Indiana BMV license branch. Please arrive at the branch at least one hour before the close of business (i.e. by 4 p.m. on days when a branch closes at 5 p.m.) in order to take the written exam that day.

Getting a learner permit without a birth certificate

First-time learner permit applicants who are 65 years or older, and can attest that they have never been issued a birth certificate because their birth was never recorded with a state office of vital statistics, may present other forms of identification as a primary document of identification, along with the necessary secondary document of identification, for an Indiana learner permit.

Individuals who are 65 years or older may present, as primary documents:

  • Medicaid/Medicare card
  • Social Security benefits statement
  • Property deed
  • Property tax statement
  • Bank statement
  • US Veteran's Access Photo ID card
  • Marriage/divorce decree
  • Pension statement

Please note that secondary documents, and other documents proving residency, are still required for most transactions.

Learner permit applicants who are younger than 65 years of age and who do not have an original copy of their birth certificate should bring another document from the primary group of identification documents or contact the health department or department of vital statistics in their county or state of birth to obtain a new copy of their original birth certificate.

To be accepted by the BMV, a birth certificate must be an original copy with a raised seal issued by the health department or department of vital statistics in the applicant's county or state of birth. Birth certificates issued by hospitals or other organizations will not be accepted.

Getting a learner permit without a Social Security number

Any Indiana resident who wants to apply for a learner permit but who does not have a Social Security number should visit a license branch and ask to apply for the driver license through the Central Verification Process (CVP). This process allows the BMV to verify the applicant’s immigration or residency status.

Any documents presented at a license branch establishing an applicant’s immigration or residency status will be forwarded to the Central Verification Division. The applicant will be issued a document stating that he or she has a temporary learner permit, valid for 60 days. When the Central Verification Division has verified the applicant’s documents, the permanent learner permit will be mailed to the applicant.

An out-of-country driver license or identification card cannot be accepted as identification in Indiana.

Vision screening requirements

All applicants for a driver license or permit are required to satisfy Indiana's minimum vision standards, even if the applicant is renewing an existing license. If you normally wear glasses while driving, please be sure to bring your glasses with you so that you will be able to pass the vision screening. The vision screening will involve testing of an applicant's visual acuity and visual fields.

If your visual ability does not meet state standards, you will be referred to an eye doctor for examination. You may return to the license branch with a statement from an eye doctor certifying that your vision has been corrected to meet the state standard; however, you will still be required to submit to a vision screening at the license branch.

Following are some of the most frequent restriction codes placed on a license due to vision:

  • Glasses or contact lenses
  • Outside rearview mirrors
  • Daylight driving only

License Branch Options


 
 
View current visit times
at any license branch in Indiana:


Make a branch appointment
at locations in these cities: