District of Columbia learner’s permit requirements

Everything here comes from District of Columbia Department of Motor Vehicles pages, handbooks or state law, and each fact links to its source. Where District of Columbia doesn’t publish something, we say so rather than guess.

Last checked September 22, 2026.

At a glance

Minimum age
16 years
Fees
$30 total
Supervised driving
40 hours (10 at night)
Where you take the test
Online or in person

Study from the official manual

District of Columbia practice tests are not ready yet. The DMV publishes its manual, DC DMV Automobile Driver Manual - Updated Jan 2024, as an online flipbook. The permit test is written from it, so read it in full. Road signs follow one national standard, so our road signs test applies to District of Columbia too.

The knowledge test and your permit

Test format
Not publishedSources 12
Passing score
Not publishedSources 12
Time limit
60 minutesSources 12
Permit and test fees
$30 totalThe knowledge test is $10 at a DC DMV service center (third-party $39.95, virtual $49.95) and the learner permit is $20, for any age.Sources 12
Minimum age for a permit
16 yearsMust be at least 16 to get a DC DMV learner permit. Drivers under 21 are automatically enrolled in the GRAD program.Sources 345
Supervised driving
40 hours (10 at night)Sources 345
Hold your permit
6 months minimumSources 345
Test languages
24 languagesEnglish, Amharic, Arabic, Cantonese, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, Thai, Vietnamese, Turkish, Hungarian, Finnish, Danish, Indonesian, Dutch, Farsi, Italian, SwedishSources 12
Take it online
YesSources 12
If you fail
May retest after waiting three full calendar daysIf you fail six times within 12 months, the seventh attempt is not allowed until 12 months after the first failure. Cheating bars retesting for 60 days. Passing results must be used at a service center within 14 business days or retesting is required.Sources 12
Vision standard
No less than 20/40 in the best eyeOR no less than 20/70 in the best eye AND field of vision at least 140 degrees (with or without corrective lenses)Sources 345

From permit to full license

GRAD program for ages 16-20: learner permit (age 16+, drive only 6 am-9 pm with a licensed driver 21+); provisional license after holding the permit 6 months, certifying 40 hours of supervised practice, and passing the road skills test (night-hour and passenger restrictions); full license with conditions at 17 after 6 months on the provisional license, 10 certified hours of night driving, and 12 consecutive months without pointable offenses; all restrictions end at 18 (released from GRAD at 21).

Before you go

Rules and fees change. Confirm appointments, documents and current fees on the official District of Columbia Department of Motor Vehicles website: dmv.dc.gov.

Sources

  1. dmv.dc.gov: knowledge tests
  2. dmv.dc.gov: driver license fees
  3. dmv.dc.gov: learner permits and provisional licenses
  4. dmv.dc.gov: graduated license program
  5. dmv.dc.gov: provisional license
  6. dmv.dc.gov: form 40 hours
  7. dmv.dc.gov: screening vision

Take the road signs test District of Columbia traffic laws