How to Get an Illinois Instruction Permit

First, who qualifies and when

Under 625 ILCS 5/6-103, being 15 is not enough by itself: the teen has to be signed up for an approved course and need the permit for it. The Secretary of State's permit page puts the timing this way for anyone 15 through 17: already enrolled, or no more than 30 days away from the first class.

From 17 years and 3 months, a teen can apply unenrolled. A license before 18 still requires the course, so this mostly helps a teen planning to be licensed at 18, when first-time applicants up to 20 take the 6 hour adult course instead.

Before you go: the document groups

The state sorts acceptable ID into four lettered groups, and a new applicant needs an original from each. Expired documents do not count unless the list allows it, a single document may satisfy two groups at once, and copies are never accepted.

A typical teen's folder: passport or certified birth certificate for age, the Social Security card for the number, and something from school for the address. A report card or certified transcript does the job, and so does a letter on school letterhead that is less than three months old.

• Group A (signature): U.S. passport, Social Security card, or a signed debit or credit card
• Group B (birth date): U.S. passport, certified birth certificate, certified school transcript or adoption records
• Group C (Social Security number): W-2, SSA-1099 or the card itself
• Group D (residency): school letter, report card or certified transcript; each Group D item must carry the applicant's own name and address

At the counter: the two tests

Each applicant passes a vision screening and the written exam for the class of license wanted, which for a car is Class D. Expect road signs, traffic law and safe driving practice from the Rules of the Road.

Not a pass? Ask staff when your teen may try again. The classroom part of the course teaches most of what the test asks, so revisiting the workbook is the fastest review.

Worked example: a freshman starting drivers ed in February

Your daughter turns 15 in November and her school course starts February 3. The earliest permit date is 30 days before that, around January 4.

Nine months from a January permit lands in October. If she turns 16 in November, that is the date that holds her back, and by then she should have her 50 hours, 10 of them at night, comfortably logged.

After the permit: what it allows

Two kinds of people may supervise a minor on a permit under 625 ILCS 5/6-107.1. During lessons, the drivers ed instructor. Otherwise, an adult who is a parent, guardian, relative or in loco parentis, aged 21 or older, licensed for that vehicle for at least a year, and riding in the front passenger seat.

More rules from the GDL page: just one person in the front passenger seat, never more back-seat riders than belts, and seat belts on everyone. And until 19, your teen cannot use a phone at the wheel at all, not even hands-free; the only exception is calling police, emergency services or a health care provider.

After the permit: night hours and tickets

On school nights (Sunday through Thursday) the permit stops working at ten in the evening and starts again at six the next morning; on Friday and Saturday nights the cutoff is eleven. Some trips are allowed anyway: with a parent in the car, on a straight-there errand a parent sent you on, to or from a job, during an emergency, while crossing state lines, or to and from a school, church or recreational event an adult is supervising.

A conviction for a moving violation while on the permit resets things: the license is off the table for nine months from that conviction. Hardship permits are not available to permit holders, and a ticket still pending in court holds up the license until it is decided. A teen who wants supervision instead of a conviction has to go to court with a parent and complete traffic safety school.

If you are an adult, lost the permit, or are moving in

Adults (18 and up) get a one year permit under 625 ILCS 5/6-105 after passing the exam, and practice beside a licensed driver of 21 or more with a year's experience. If you are 18 to 20, the adult course certificate is needed later, at the license stage, not now.

Lost the permit? Bring your ID to a facility and pay $5 for a duplicate. There is no charge if a police report shows it was stolen, or for the household of an active-duty service member. Families moving in with a teen who holds a permit from another state should phone the Secretary of State (800-252-8980) before going in, and ask how the old permit, coursework and practice hours will count under Illinois rules.