Your Maine Learner's Permit, From Application to First Drive

Before you apply: are you eligible yet?

Section 1304 of Title 29-A opens the permit to anyone 15 or older, with one condition for 15, 16 and 17 year olds: they must complete driver education before applying. That flips the usual order. In Maine a 15 year old's first stop is a licensed driving school, not the BMV counter.

There are two bridges while you wait. While classes are running, a student may carry a restricted permit that works only when a licensed driver education instructor is in the car. When the course ends, the certificate itself lets your teen practice for 60 days after the completion date, as long as the adult in the front seat is 20 or older with two years of licensed driving. That covers the gap until the BMV test.

Building the paperwork packet

Identity takes two different documents. One has to prove your birth date and the other has to carry your written signature. A certified birth certificate, passport, Social Security card, driver education card, certified school records or military ID can all be used. Minors get one extra option: a parent who shows up and proves who they are can count as an identity source.

Residency proof must name your physical address. Good choices are a paycheck stub, W-2, tax bill, utility bill, Maine vehicle registration, or a Maine fishing or hunting license. Teens often have nothing in their own name. That is what the BMV's residency affidavit is for, and under 18 one copy signed by you as parent or guardian covers it.

If you are younger than 23 you also need your birth certificate. A photocopy is fine if it carries the issuing agency's embossed stamp. A notarized copy will be turned away.

• The permit application form
• $35 for the exam
• Two identity documents
• One proof of Maine residency
• Course completion certificate if under 18
• Birth certificate if under 23

Test day: knowledge test and eyes

You face 30 questions and need 24 right. Expect signs, road rules, safety around people on foot and on bikes, distracted driving, and a heavy dose of Maine's operating under the influence law. Work the review questions that close every chapter of the state's Motorist Handbook and Study Guide; that is the strongest preparation.

Language is less of a barrier than it used to be. Since February 1, 2026, the BMV has supplied free professional interpreters for the written exam, and the computer version can be taken in Spanish, French, Portuguese, Arabic, Somali, Swahili and other languages at any of 13 branches. Booking an interpreter can take four weeks or more, so ask early.

The vision screening is free on arrival. If you would rather, your own eye doctor can fill in the BMV's eye examination form and you hand that to the examiner instead.

Once you have the permit: who can ride with you

Your supervisor has to meet four conditions: licensed and at least 20, licensed for at least two years, sitting in the seat next to you, and holding a license that covers the vehicle you are in. They also have to obey whatever restrictions are on their own license.

Phones are off limits for every permit holder, whatever the age. That means not holding one or using one while driving, including when you are stopped at a light or in traffic. Pull completely off the road and stop safely before you touch it.

Driving with nobody beside you is a serious mistake. The Secretary of State's rules allow a suspension of up to 30 days for driving alone on a permit, and an instruction permit violation adds 6 demerit points to your record.

Two years go fast: expiry and starting over

The permit lasts two years and you cannot renew it. If it runs out before you pass the road test, you reapply and redo the vision screening and the written test.

Two things soften that. The hours you already logged come with you to the new permit, and you do not have to sit out another waiting period before asking for a road test. Still, the cheapest plan is to book the road test comfortably inside the two years so you only pay and test once.

How your age changes the rules

Ages 15 to 17: course first, six months on the permit, a 70 hour log, and a first license that is intermediate. Ages 18 to 20: no course, but the six month wait and 70 hour log still apply.

Age 21 and older: no course, no log and no wait. You can ask for a road test as soon as you feel ready. Only the phone rule is the same for everyone.

For example, a 19 year old who gets a permit on April 1 cannot take the road test before October 1, and needs 70 logged hours by then. A 22 year old with a permit from the same day could test the following week.

Arriving in Maine with a permit from another state

If you are 16 and hold a valid permit from another state, you can keep driving in Maine as long as you follow Maine's permit rules and your supervisor is at least 20 with two years of licensed driving.

When you are ready to trade it for a Maine permit, phone the Examination Section (207-624-9000, extension 52119). Ask specifically whether your out-of-state driver education will be accepted. Maine waives its own course requirement only for people who already have a valid license from another jurisdiction, and a permit is not a license.