Delaware for Adult Beginners: Permit, Practice and Road Exam

Before you apply: no class, really

Correct. When the DMV lists what a first-time applicant over 18 needs, the list is a vision check, a written exam, a permit and an on-road test, and nothing about a driver education certificate. The Blue Certificate is strictly an under 18 requirement.

That makes Delaware quick for adults. If you are ready, you could pass the knowledge test one week and sit the road exam just 10 days later.

Before you apply: documents and the gold star

A federally compliant Delaware license carries a gold star. To get one, bring every required source document: something showing identity and legal presence, a U.S. passport or birth certificate for example; one proof of your Social Security number such as the card itself, a W-2 or a pay stub that shows the whole number, and two Delaware residency proofs from separate sources postmarked within the last 60 days. A P.O. box will not work as an address.

Name changed since birth? Bring every marriage certificate, divorce decree or court order connecting the names, and update Social Security first, then give it 48 hours before visiting the DMV. Without the full set the DMV can issue a card stamped Not for Federal ID, and upgrade it later for a $20 replacement fee.

If you cannot document legal presence, ask about the Driving Privilege Card. The process begins with the State Bureau of Identification, and the card is valid for driving only, costs $20 and lasts 4 years.

While you practice: how the adult permit works

The Delaware Driver Manual calls the adult permit a temporary instruction permit. You get it after the eye screening and knowledge exam, once the fee is paid, and it lasts 12 months. All your exams have to be passed within that time.

Every practice drive needs a licensed companion who is 21 or older and qualified for the vehicle class. Compare that with the teen program, where the supervisor must be 25.

Example: you pass the knowledge test on April 1. The earliest road exam is April 11, and the permit runs out at the end of March next year, so if a first road exam goes badly you still have months to try again.

Before test day: the knowledge test

You face 30 questions and need at least 24 right. The DMV has a sample driving exam online, which is worth taking more than once before you book.

On test day: the road exam

Road exams run every weekday apart from Wednesday, and each takes about 30 minutes. You provide the car: free of debris and cargo, at least half a tank of fuel, and current registration and insurance. No phone, no music and no smoking, and parking assist features must be switched off.

Bring your valid permit, your companion's license (they must be at least 21) and the registration and insurance cards for the car, original or electronic. Before you drive, the examiner looks the car over. Then expect parallel parking, a three point turn, backing up 50 feet, merging, lane changes and intersections.

Fail, and the next attempt is at least 10 days away.

If you want lessons anyway

Total beginners often benefit from a course even though none is required. Under Delaware's school regulation, any adult driver education program a district runs follows the high school course's rules, and each county has a local district where anyone can enroll for a fee. The Department of Education sets that fee.

Private driving schools need a DMV license too. Before paying one for lessons, find it on the DMV's list of licensed commercial driver training schools.

If you are moving here with a license

New residents have 60 days to apply for a Delaware license. Either surrender the old card or bring a current certified driving record, and present proof of legal presence, two documents showing a Delaware address, and your Social Security number. You will also pass an eye screening.

The DMV can give written and road exams, but it normally waives them when your license is valid. Drivers from other countries usually must pass both, except that reciprocity deals with France, Germany and Taiwan let licensed drivers from those three places skip both exams for a Class D.

After you pass: insurance

Delaware law ties no insurance discount to a beginner course. After you are licensed, however, the Department of Insurance says a defensive driving course approved by the DMV can trim part of your premium by as much as 10 percent for three years.