Apply for your learners permit at a full-service RMV branch office near you.
In order to be eligible for the learners permit, you must:

1. Be at least 16 years old.
2. Bring a completed License and ID Update application. You can find the application online or at the branch.
3. If you are under the age of 18, a parent or guardian will need to sign the application.
4. You will be required to pay a $30 written test fee (subject to change) as well as meet the identification requirements.
5. Pass a vision test or submit a RMV vision-screening certificate from your medical practitioner.
6. Have your photo and signature captured electronically on the RMV database
7. Pass a 20 question (written/computer based) exam testing your knowledge of Massachusetts's motor vehicle laws and safe driving practices. You have 20 minutes to take the test and must answer 14 correctly in order to pass. The test is administered on automated testing stations which are easy to use video screen kiosks.

Once you pass the knowledge test, you will be issued a learners permit with the following restrictions:

• Your permit is valid for two (2) years and allows you to practice your driving skills as you prepare for your road test.
• You must carry your permit whenever you drive until you earn a Junior Operators License or a full drivers license.
• You must always be accompanied by a licensed operator who occupies the passenger seat next to you. This person must be at least 21 years old and have a valid license with at least 1 year's driving experience.
• If you are under 18, you may not drive between the hours of 12:00 am and 5:00 am unless accompanied by a licensed parent or legal guardian.
• A class D learner's permit allows you to operate a motor vehicle in another state as long as it does not violate the laws of that state.
• You may only operate a passenger car.

As of September 1, 2007, if you are under 18, you must hold your learners permit for at least 6 months and

1. Complete a drivers education course that consists of 30 hours classroom instruction, 12 hours of behind-the-wheel training, and 6 hours of in-car” experience observing other students. Note: online drivers education courses do not satisfy this requirement.
2. Complete either 40 hours of supervised driving with a parent or guardian OR 30 hours of supervised driving if the applicant has successfully completed a driver skills development program.
3. Your parent/guardian must take part in two hours of drivers education instruction.
4. Pass a final exam administered by the Registry of Motor Vehicles or driving school.

DriversEd.com can help make this supervised driving period less stressful. Our Behind-the-Wheel Training Guide teaches important concepts and guides parents step-by-step through the process of teaching their teen to drive. It also comes with a FREE Passenger Side Rear-View Mirror which allows you to see exactly what your teen sees when behind the wheel.

Schedule a driving test with the RMV.
In order to be eligible for the Massachusetts drivers license / junior operator license, you must:

1. Be at least 16½ years old.
2. Have held your learners permit for at least 6 months (under 18) and bring it with you.
3. Have a completed road test application, and have your parent or guardian complete the parental consent section if you are under age 18. In completing the application for the road test, you will be required to disclose whether you have a physical, mental, or medical condition or are taking any medications that might affect your ability to operate a motor vehicle. If you do, prior to taking a road test, you will be required to submit medical clearance, from your physician, to a Branch manager. The Road Test Examiner will review your application and either approve it or forward it to the Medical Affairs Branch for appropriate review.
4. Bring a qualified sponsor (see the Sponsor Requirements of the MA Drivers Manual). Note: A sponsor is not required for a Class M road test.
5. Provide an acceptable, properly equipped, legally registered vehicle to use in your test (see the Passenger Vehicle Requirements section of the MA Drivers Manual).
6. Have a drivers education certificate before you can schedule a road test (under 18). As part of the road test application, your parent or guardian must certify and sign, on the front of your license application, that you have also completed 12 hours of driving supervised by a licensed driver aged 21 or over. Note: If your learners permit is issued on or after September 1, 2007, your parent or guardian must participate in two hours of the drivers education curriculum (unless he/she has already attended within the past five years). You must also complete 40 hours of parent-supervised driving (30 hours if you completed a driver skills development program) and pass a drivers education final exam.
7. Have a clean driving record for the six consecutive months immediately preceding the date you apply for the test (if under 18). You will not be able to take the test if you:

   • Have experienced any surchargeable incidents (e.g., at-fault accidents, moving violations) under Massachusetts law or the law of another state
   • Have had your permit suspended for committing drug or alcohol related motor vehicle violations
   • Have been convicted for violating any drug or alcohol related laws in MA or another state
   Note: Even if you had a clean driving record for six consecutive months immediately preceding the date you first booked the road test, if the RMV receives notice of an event that would cause the six-month clean driving period to be interrupted between the date the test was booked and the date of the test itself, you will not be allowed to take the road test when scheduled. A new clean driving record of at least six months will have to be established, unless you reach 18 years of age prior to that time.
8. Pay the $20.00 fee (subject to change).
9. Pass the driving test.

After passing the road skills driving test, you will be issued a Junior Operator License (JOL) which will have restrictions as follows:

• You may not operate a motor vehicle within the first 6 months of receiving a JOL while any passenger under age 18 is in the vehicle (other than you or an immediate family member of any age) unless you are accompanied by a person who is at least 21 years old, has at least 1 year of driving experience, holds a valid drivers license from Massachusetts or another state, and is occupying a seat beside you.
• As the holder of a JOL, you may not operate a motor vehicle between 12:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. unless accompanied by your parent or your legal guardian.
• If you violate the passenger restriction or the night restriction, you will be subject to a license suspension of 60 days for a first offense, 180 days for a second offense, and one year for subsequent offenses. For a second or subsequent offense, you will also be required to complete an Attitudinal Retraining course. The law requires the Registrar to impose this suspension in addition to any other penalty, fine, suspension, revocation, or requirement that may be imposed in connection with a violation committed at the time you were violating the passenger or night restriction. The suspension for violating the passenger or night restriction will not begin to run until any other suspension has been completed.

The Junior Operator License is for minors 16½ till 18 years. You can apply for an unrestricted drivers license when you turn 18.