Washington Learner Permit: What Your Teen Needs and When

Before you apply: choosing your route at 15

Washington links the permit age to the course. A 15 year old qualifies only after enrolling in an approved driver training course and giving the school their WDL number. Apply within the 10 days before class starts, not earlier, so the permit is ready for the first in-car lesson.

The other door opens at 15 and a half without any enrollment, but only after your teen passes the knowledge test in person at an approved site. Keep in mind where that road ends: no license before 18 unless a course is completed later, since the intermediate license depends on one.

An example. If your daughter turns 15 in September and the fall course starts in October, she enrolls, applies in the final days of September, and drives with her instructor in October. If she would rather wait, she can test at 15 and a half in March, but a license then waits until 18 unless she takes the course.

Before you apply: the knowledge test in brief

Forty multiple choice questions cover signs, traffic law and safe driving, and 32 correct answers pass. Twelve languages are available statewide, Spanish, Russian, Korean, Vietnamese, Punjabi and Ukrainian among them, yet a given location may not offer all twelve, so ask.

Each location prices the test itself, so it pays to compare. A failed attempt can carry a waiting period before the retest. A pass holds for two years, which helps if your teen tests well ahead of applying.

• Course students normally test through their driving school
• Everyone else tests at an approved location before the application
• DOL's website has practice questions in English and Spanish

At the office: identity papers for a photo permit

Originals only. DOL turns away photocopies, scans and phone pictures of documents. A single stand-alone document is enough, for example a Permanent Resident Card, or a U.S. passport or passport card that is still valid, and anything DOL already holds on file for you counts as well.

No stand-alone document? Then bring either two A-list items, or one A-list item with two B-list items. A U.S. visa and a federally recognized tribal enrollment card are on the A-list; the B-list includes a Medicare card, a Social Security card and a certified birth certificate. If you are 25 or younger, there is another option built on a parent's ID plus papers that connect you to that parent.

At the office: what the parent brings

For a photo permit, the parent or guardian comes in person with their own acceptable ID and something showing they are connected to the teen: a birth certificate, an adoption record or a school record. A permit without a photo needs only online permission.

Teens who do not live with a parent can have a responsible adult over 21 sign instead. Think of a grandparent or other relative, a caregiver, a professional in the teen's support network, a caseworker or other public employee, or the teen's boss. Their signature covers the permit only, and they may not be able to vouch for the teen's identity.

If proving identity is a problem

A teen in foster care can have a caseworker submit a Washington State Identicard form. Teens in Juvenile Rehabilitation should go through their caseworker. A student without stable housing can ask the school's homeless education liaison to help.

You can also show up at a driver licensing office, appointment or not, and ask to speak with a supervisor about what will work in your situation.

Once you have it: the rules on every drive

Keep the permit with you whenever you drive, and make sure the person beside you holds a license and has at least five years of driving experience. There is no passenger cap on a permit, which is different from the intermediate license that comes later.

Phones and other mobile devices stay down unless you are calling 911. Planning a family road trip? A Washington permit may not be honored in another state, so read that state's rules first.

As the months go by: renewing or replacing the card

The permit expires after a year. Two renewals are allowed, done either in License Express or by appointment at an office, and in October 2026 each renewal costs $25. Losing the card, or having it stolen, means a $20 replacement.

Once both renewals are used, a new permit requires passing the knowledge test again, unless your teen is in a driver training course at that point. Lay out the course and the practice hours so the permit does not run dry first.

If you are moving to Washington with a permit

Out-of-state permits cannot be exchanged. A teen of 15 and a half or more takes the Washington knowledge test for a fresh permit; younger teens enroll in an approved course.

Training from your old state counts only when it matched Washington's 30 classroom and 6 driving hours, and DOL reviews certificates emailed to [email protected]. One piece of good news: months you already spent on your old permit count toward Washington's six month hold.

For adults and future motorcyclists

In 2026, an adult needs a permit only for road practice or for enrolling in driver training. From January 1, 2027, 18 year olds seeking a first license must take driver education, and since the course includes in-car lessons, most of them will get a permit.

Motorcycle instruction permits are a separate product. As of October 2026 it is $35 for 180 days. For a rider younger than 18, a parent or guardian must sign consent in person at a licensing office.