Getting an Oregon Instruction Permit, Step by Step

Before you go: which permit your teen gets

At 15, 16 or 17 the card is a provisional instruction permit, meaning the teen restrictions come attached. Someone 18 or older who wants one gets a plain Class C instruction permit: same tests, no parent signature.

Oregon sets no school grade minimum and no class prerequisite. Your teen does not have to be enrolled in drivers ed, or anywhere else, to apply.

Timing example: if your daughter turns 15 on June 3 and gets her permit that week, the 6 month minimum lets her apply for a provisional license on or after December 3, once her practice hours are done.

On test day: home or office

The Class C exam is 35 multiple choice questions on road signs, traffic law and safe driving. Remote testing comes in English and Spanish and needs a working webcam, because someone monitors the session. In an office, the touch screen offers English, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian and Vietnamese. Offices quit giving the test an hour before they close.

Phones, notes, talking and helpers are all forbidden, other than a translator if one is needed. Cheating ends the test on the spot and blocks a retest for 90 days. A plain fail is different: some offices will let your teen try again the same day, for another $7.

Before you go: documents DMV checks

Identity means one original or certified document showing full name and birth date. Good choices are a U.S. passport or passport card, a U.S. birth certificate, or an older Oregon permit or ID card with a photo. Lacking those, DMV can accept two secondary documents from separate sources, for example certified school records together with a medical card.

Address is easier. Bring one document with your teen's name and Oregon home address; a school record showing this year's enrollment is a common pick. Unlike identity documents, copies and electronic versions usually work for address.

For Social Security, your teen gives the number or certifies electronically that there is none. If your teen's name has changed, bring the court order, adoption decree or other legal record that connects the old and new names.

At the counter: fees and how long the permit lasts

October 2026 fees: $30 for a Class C instruction permit, $60 for the REAL ID version, and $7 for each knowledge test attempt. A lost permit costs $30 to replace ($60 for REAL ID). Changing an address online is free.

The permit runs 2 years and DMV sends no warning before it lapses, so put the date in your calendar. Renewing costs $26 and means handing in the old card; tests are only repeated if it has been expired a year or longer. Keep the interim card on hand until the plastic one arrives, but know that TSA and the Social Security Administration will not take it as ID.

After you get it: rules behind the wheel

Your teen may drive only with a licensed driver of at least 21 seated alongside. If those hours are going toward the 50 or 100 a teen needs, the supervisor must also have held a license for 3 years or more.

Phones are completely off limits for permit holders while driving, hands-free included. DMV reviews every conviction or preventable crash under its Provisional Driver Improvement Program, and a second one puts your teen on a 90 day restriction.

If you are moving to Oregon with a permit

Bring the permit from your old state, since it is surrendered when the Oregon one is issued. Months held on that permit count toward the 6 months a teen needs before applying for a provisional license.

Oregon's knowledge and vision tests still have to be passed. Practice hours from your old state help your teen get ready; keep your own record of them, because you certify the total when applying for the license.

What comes next

For teens, the permit is held at least 6 months while you rack up the supervised hours (half as many with an approved course). Next is the road test or the course waiver, and then a provisional license that limits passengers and late night driving for 12 months.

Adults face no waiting period and no hour log and may test whenever they feel ready. Passing an ODOT-approved course within the previous 2 years waives the drive test, though the knowledge test taken for the permit still counts as required.