North Dakota Adult Drivers: Course Optional, Road Test Required

First question: is there a course you must take?

No. When NDDOT lays out its requirements by age, the formal driver education course appears only for 14 and 15 year olds. For anyone 18 or older the list is short: practice on a permit with someone qualified beside you, then pass the road test. There is no class to attend and no practice log to keep.

The flip side is that nobody checks whether you are ready. Paying for a few lessons makes sense if you have never driven, learned in another country, or failed a road test and want an instructor to pinpoint what went wrong.

Before your appointment: what to gather

You prove name, birth date and lawful presence with one original or certified document. U.S. citizens usually bring a passport, a passport card or a state certified birth certificate; a Report of Birth Abroad or a certificate of naturalization or citizenship also works. Noncitizens can use a permanent resident card, or a temporary status document like an employment authorization card, or a foreign passport carrying an I-94.

Changed your name? Add a certified marriage certificate, an adoption record or a court order. For Social Security, the card works, and so does a W-2, a 1099 or a pay stub that shows all nine digits.

Address proof means two current documents with your physical address. A post office box is not accepted, so a bill mailed to a box will not help you.

One note for those on temporary immigration status: the license expires on your duration of stay date, so expect a return visit after your status is extended.

At the office: getting the permit

Adults get the same Class D instruction permit teens do. The tests are the same written Rules of the Road exam and an eye check, and you supply your Social Security number. NDDOT checks the number but does not print it as your license number.

In October 2026 the knowledge test is $5 per attempt, limited to one attempt a day, the permit costs $15 and each road test is $5. Beyond English, more than a dozen languages are offered, and you can take it online at nd.knowtodrive.com before your visit.

While you practice: who rides with you

Whoever supervises you needs a Class A, B, C or D license, must be 18 or older, and must have driven for at least three years. They take the passenger seat beside you, and everyone else rides in back unless the vehicle has no back seat.

The phone rule covers permit holders of any age. Talking, reading or sending messages on an electronic device while driving is off limits; summoning emergency help is the exception.

There is no minimum holding period for adults. Once you and your supervisor agree you are ready, book the test.

On test day: what to expect

Schedule the drive online through NDDOT or by phone at 855-633-6835. The car you bring needs current registration and proof of insurance. It gets looked over before you leave the lot, and the examiner will turn it away if it is unsafe or its self-parking feature is turned on.

Out on the road you are judged on staying in your lane, signaling, obeying signs, posture and parallel parking. A failed attempt cannot be repeated the same day, and every attempt costs another $5.

Can the road test be waived for an adult?

NDDOT treats the road test as required at every age. The Century Code does allow a waiver if you have already passed a real driving test, given either by a licensing agency here or in another state, or by a commercial driver training school that qualifies.

If you want a driving school to cover the test, choose one flagged as a waiver school on NDDOT's list of driver training schools and get the school to confirm the waiver in writing before you pay.

If you just moved here with a license

For licensing purposes you become a resident after 90 straight days in North Dakota. Nonresident students, tourists and nonresident members of the armed forces are the exceptions. From the day you become a resident, an out-of-state non-commercial license is good for 60 more days; a commercial license, 30.

Bring your most recent license to the transfer appointment. It cannot be suspended, cancelled or revoked, or expired more than a year. Add identity, Social Security and residence documents and $15.

NDDOT's transfer page does not spell out which tests are skipped, so phone 855-633-6835 before the visit and ask what you will be tested on.

If your old North Dakota license ran out more than a year ago, plan on the full set again: knowledge, vision and road.

After you are licensed: the insurance course

North Dakota law makes insurers build a discount into their rates for a principal operator who completes an accident prevention course carrying the approval of the State Highway Patrol superintendent. It runs at least two years, and drivers 55 and older get three.

It covers only the vehicle the graduate mostly drives. A driver who is already experience rated, or already getting a driver education discount, does not get it on top. Check with your insurer about which approved course it honors before signing up.