Alabama Learner License Checklist for a 15 Year Old

Before you go: is your teen eligible?

Any teen 15 or older who passes the written exam can get a Stage I license. The card looks like a normal Alabama license except for a Y restriction, and that restriction means supervised driving only.

A few groups bypass Stage I. Graduated rules do not cover anyone 18 or older, a 17 year old with six months on a valid license, a 16 year old who is married and heads a household, or anyone a court has freed from minority status.

Before you go: the document folder

The rules for a 15 year old are tighter than for adults. Treat the list below as nonnegotiable and bring originals.

School proof matters because of Act 93-368, which links licensing to school attendance for everyone under 19. ALEA will not license an applicant in that age group who cannot show enrollment, graduation or a GED, outside a few narrow exclusions.

• Certified U.S. birth certificate (the examiner will reject a photocopy)
• Social Security card
• School proof: DL-1/93, a diploma, a GED or the Home School Affidavit
• Two residence documents, for example a utility bill under 90 days old
• Cash or a money order for $5 plus $36.25

If your teen is already 16 or older

A first time applicant who is 16 or older uses the general ID rules: two IDs with one bearing a photo, or three without photos, with one or more drawn from ALEA's primary list, and the Social Security card on top. School proof is still required under 19.

ALEA also offers this group a learner license if they would qualify except for a lack of driving experience. It runs four years and carries the same Y restriction.

On exam day: what the written test covers

The source for every question is the Alabama Driver Manual, free on ALEA's website. Expect material on alcohol, right of way, traffic laws, signs and road markings, plus the Stage II limits your teen will live under next year.

Because fees can change and some counties may charge a little more under local legislation, check the office's page or call before the visit. Bring cash or a money order rather than a checkbook.

After the license is issued: the supervision rules

On Stage I your teen never drives alone. The front passenger seat must hold a parent, a legal guardian, a certified or licensed driving instructor, or any licensed driver at least 21 years old.

There is one school day exception. During school hours, students enrolled in a Director approved course can drive the school car beside its certified instructor, learner license or not. Practice with you outside school still requires Stage I.

A worked example: if your teen gets the learner license the week of a 15th birthday in September, the six month minimum ends in March, but Stage II still waits for the 16th birthday the following September. Use the extra months for the 50 hours.

While you are there: STAR ID

STAR ID is Alabama's version of REAL ID, recognizable by the gold star. A first STAR ID can only be issued face to face at an ALEA examining office, using the documents on ALEA's STAR ID list, so if your folder already has everything, the learner license visit is a sensible time to do it.

Since May 2025, flying within the U.S. has meant showing a STAR ID or another accepted document like a passport. A teen who flies alone benefits from having it.

A side road: motor driven cycles at 14

Alabama separately licenses motor driven cycles, meaning small mopeds and scooters, for riders aged 14 and 15. Applicants bring two residence proofs, the Social Security card, a birth certificate or Alabama ID, and (at 15) school proof. The fees match the learner license: $5 and $36.25.

That license is a Class M with a B restriction. It does not count as a car learner license, and any teen who wants to drive a car still has to start at Stage I.