First-Time Adult Drivers in Nebraska: The Class O

Before you go: proving who you are

Two statutes (sections 60-484 and 60-484.04 of the Nebraska code) make every license applicant prove citizenship or lawful status, identity, home address and Social Security number. First time applicants, and people bringing in an out of state license, prove citizenship once; the DMV does not ask again.

If you are not a citizen, the DMV checks your USCIS documents before issuing anything, which can take as long as 20 federal work days, and you bring those documents to every visit. Certain documents, for example an employment authorization card or an I-94, have to be paired with an I-797 or another second document. When verification drags, the USCIS SAVE Case Check tool shows where your case stands.

• Citizenship or lawful status: one document showing your name and birthday
• Home address: at least two Nebraska documents
• Social Security: a number that verifies, or an I-94 that shows you are exempt
• Certified marriage, divorce or court papers for a name change

Before you go: the Real ID star

A Real ID compliant Nebraska card has a star at the top right. Since March 2026 the star is white on a black circle; earlier cards with a white star on a gold circle remain valid through December 2031.

Moving from another state with a Real ID card? It can help you skip tests, but the DMV will not accept it as identity proof, so bring your birth certificate or passport anyway.

Test one: the written exam

The Class O written test is 25 questions, and missing five or fewer passes. You can take it in English, Spanish or American Sign Language, read or listened to, and a wordless 24 question picture version exists for people who grew up speaking another language.

Fail and you wait until another day. A pass is good for six months, so book the driving test inside that window or you may be sitting the written test again.

Test two: driving, and the three strike rule

Most first time adults pass the written test, practice on an LPD, then take the driving test. No permit period applies to adults; book the test the moment you are confident. Example: pass the written test in early March, practice through April, and book the road test before the six month pass expires in September.

Three failed driving tests in a row change things. You may not reapply until you finish a DMV approved training course with six classroom and six driving hours, or hold an LPD for 90 days or longer. A couple of lessons before the first try is usually cheaper than that detour.

Paying: Class O fees by term

Five years is the normal term, priced at $29 in October 2026. Shorter cards follow a sliding scale, which mostly affects drivers under 21, whose card ends near the 21st birthday, and holders of immigration documents, whose card ends with the document.

Lost your card? $16 for a new one. Adding or changing a class, endorsement or restriction is $10. A bioptic or telescopic lens restriction means yearly renewal at $10 a year.

• Five years: $29
• Over three, up to four years: $24
• Over two, up to three years: $19
• Over one, up to two years: $15
• One year or less: $10

If you moved here with a license

You have 30 days after the move. Hand in your valid out of state license and pass a vision test; licensing staff decide whether to give a driving test. If the old license lapsed less than a year ago, the driving test may be skipped, but you will take the written one.

If you cannot hand in the old license, or it lapsed more than a year ago, expect both tests. Licenses from Canada, Germany, Mexico and U.S. territories always require the written test. Arriving teens under 18 have to satisfy all of the POP requirements and are issued a POP, not an unrestricted license.

After you pass: what a Class O covers

A Class O lets you drive any motor vehicle except a motorcycle or a commercial vehicle, mopeds and autocycles included. ATVs and UTVs are a different story: the law allows them on public roads only in specific situations, like farm work outside town or where a local ordinance or county resolution permits it, and even then only in daylight, slower than 30 mph, and insured for liability.

Riding a motorcycle takes a Class M license or M endorsement, and a commercial vehicle takes a CDL. Thinking about either? Ask about those exams while you are already at the office.