This is not legal advice and we are not DDS or any state agency. Rules and fees change. Confirm anything that affects you on the DDS site before you go.
The path
The Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS) licenses new drivers in three steps. First comes the Class C Instructional Permit (CP), also called the learner’s permit. You can apply at 15 or older.
At 16 you can apply for the Class D Provisional License. At 18 you can move up to the full Class C license. These steps are in the Teen Driving Laws FAQs and the Drivers’ Manual.
- Fill out the License/ID/Permit Form online before you visit.
- Gather papers that prove who you are, your Social Security number and where you live.
- If you are under 18, bring proof of school enrollment and an adult to sign.
- Pass the vision exam and the knowledge exam at a DDS Customer Service Center.
- Practice on the permit with a licensed driver who is 21 or older.
- If you are under 18, finish Joshua’s Law driver education and ADAP.
- Book and pass the road test.
If you are 18 or older and have never held a license, you have two choices. You can start with the permit and practice. Or you can apply for a Class C license right away. Then you pass both the knowledge and road tests. You also sign an affidavit that you have 40 hours of supervised driving, 6 of them at night (Drivers’ Manual).
The test fee for the permit is $10.00, and you pay it before you test. A Class D license costs $10 for 5 years. A Class C license costs $32 for 8 years. Centers take cash and credit or debit cards. DDS does not accept checks or money orders. The fees are in the Drivers’ Manual.
What to bring
Before you go, submit the License/ID/Permit Form online. DDS says the form is required at a Customer Service Center. Your information stays on file for 60 days. After that you fill it out again (How Do I Get a Class D License).
- Who you are — one document. For a U.S. citizen, a U.S. birth certificate with a raised seal or an unexpired U.S. passport works.
- Your Social Security number — you enter your full number on the online form. If it does not verify, bring a paper that shows it, such as your Social Security card.
- Where you live — two documents with your name and home address. They must come from separate sources or accounts. A P.O. Box does not prove residency.
- Your name, if it changed — a certified copy of a marriage certificate, divorce decree or court order for the name change.
- If you are not a U.S. citizen — one immigration document for identity, and one for lawful status if required.
All documents must be in English. DDS does not accept translated documents. The list of accepted papers is on the Class D page.
Many proofs of home address have a date limit. The Drivers’ Manual says the two residency documents must be dated within the last six months. The DDS page is the current word. It also accepts some household and government papers from the current or preceding calendar year.
The instructional permit
- Be 15 or older.
- Show your identity, U.S. citizenship or lawful presence, and Georgia residency papers.
- Know your Social Security number, or prove you cannot get one.
- If you are under 18, show proof of school enrollment. A parent, legal guardian or responsible adult signs your application.
- Pass a vision test.
- Pay the $10.00 test fee before you test.
- Pass the knowledge exam on Road Signs and Road Rules.
The steps are in the Drivers’ Manual. For the vision exam, you need at least 20/60 in one eye, with or without glasses or contacts. You also need a 140-degree field of vision. If you fail the field part, a licensed optometrist or ophthalmologist fills out Vision Report Form DS-MR-274 (Test and Exams page).
Driving on the permit
You may drive a Class C vehicle only with a licensed driver who is 21 or older. That person must hold a Class C license. They sit in the seat beside you and must be able to take control. The rule is in the Drivers’ Manual.
The knowledge exam
The knowledge exam is two tests. The Road Signs Test asks you to identify signs, signals and markers. The Road Rules Test covers driver responsibility, laws and safe driving practices.
Each test has 20 questions. You need 15 right on each one to pass. DDS prints this on its Test and Exams page and in the Drivers’ Manual.
The two tests are scored on their own. If you fail one, you retake only the part you failed. DDS does not print a time limit for the exam.
Where and when
You take the exam at any DDS Customer Service Center. No appointment is needed. You must be at the computer at least 30 minutes before the center closes. Check the hours before you go (Test and Exams page).
You may not bring pens, paper or a phone into the testing area. You may speak only to the examiner. Breaking these rules counts as a failure (Section 3: Testing Information).
If you have a reading disability, you can ask for an oral test at a center. If you are hearing impaired, you can schedule an interpreter. Both are offered on the same Section 3 page.
Languages
Both tests are offered in 26 languages, English among them. The list includes Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Haitian Creole and Vietnamese (Test and Exams page).
The 2023-2024 Drivers’ Manual still says the Road Signs Test is in English only. The newer DDS page is the current word. You must still read and understand simple English, like the words on highway signs.
Fees and retakes
The test fee is $10.00, paid before you test. You pay it again before every try, and DDS gives no refund if you fail (Drivers’ Manual).
After a first failure, wait 1 day before you retest. After a second failure, wait 7 days. Retests need an appointment and the permit fee (Test and Exams page).
DDS offers a free practice test on its Practice Test page. It says everything you need to succeed is in the Drivers’ Manual.
On this site, a practice test like the real one has 40 questions in two parts of 20. You may miss up to 5 in each part.
Practice that test here, free. A right answer passes without comment. A miss is explained where it happens, because that is the moment it teaches.
From permit to full license
The Class D Provisional License, at 16 or 17
- Be at least 16.
- Hold your permit for at least 1 year and 1 day.
- Have no major traffic violations that led to a suspension of your permit.
- Finish Joshua’s Law driver education and ADAP. Both are explained below.
- Bring proof of school enrollment and an adult to sign.
- Pass the vision exam and the road test.
The list is on the DDS Class D page. A 17-year-old who finishes driver education still waits the full 1 year and 1 day (Teen Driving Laws FAQs).
The Class C license, at 18
A Class D holder may apply for a Class C license at 18. You must have held the Class D until 18, or for 1 year and 1 day. You also need no major traffic violations in the 12 months before you apply.
U.S. citizens need no other papers and no other test. The Class C costs $32 for 8 years (Drivers’ Manual). You can do the upgrade with DDS Online Services (Class D page).
The Class D limits go with the license, not your age. If you keep a Class D after 18, the limits still apply (Teen Driving Laws FAQs).
Starting at 18 or older
A permit holder may apply for a Class C license once 18. You hand in the permit and pass the road test. You also sign the affidavit for 40 hours of supervised driving, 6 of them at night (Drivers’ Manual).
If you are 17 with no permit and no Class D, you can apply for a Class C once you turn 18 (Teen Driving Laws FAQs).
If you are under 18
Joshua’s Law driver education
Joshua’s Law applies at 16 and at 17. You finish an approved driver education course before your Class D. The course must come from a certified driver training school or a certified virtual program (Joshua’s Law Requirements).
- The class part — 30 hours of classroom instruction, or 30 hours online with a certified virtual program.
- The driving part, one way — 6 hours behind the wheel at the certified school. Add 40 hours of supervised driving with a parent or guardian, 6 of them at night.
- The driving part, the other way — 40 hours of parent-taught driving using the Parent/Teen Driving Guide.
Prices generally start at around $250, and online programs cost less. No driving log is required. A parent or guardian attests to the training when you apply. All of this is on the same Joshua’s Law page.
ADAP
ADAP is the Alcohol and Drug Awareness Program. Teens under 18 must finish it to get a Class D. Many teens take it at high school. If yours does not offer it, you can take eADAP online at any hour (ADAP page).
The adult who signs
A parent, legal guardian or responsible adult must come with you and sign. A responsible adult is 18 or older and knows you personally (Drivers’ Manual). They bring paperwork that shows how they are related to you.
The person who signs can ask DDS to revoke your license before your 18th birthday (Class D page).
Proof of school enrollment
Under 18, you show proof that you are in school or have finished. A Certificate of School Enrollment, a transcript, a recent report card or a school ID can work. Home-schoolers and teens out of school have their own lists (Class D page).
Class D limits
- You may not drive from midnight to 5 a.m. There are no exceptions.
- For the first 6 months, only immediate family members may ride with you.
- For the next 6 months, you may carry one passenger under 21 who is not family.
- After 1 year, you may carry up to three passengers under 21 who are not family.
The limits are on the Class D page. Under 18, 4 points within twelve months suspends your license (Drivers’ Manual).
If you are 17 and enlisted
A 17-year-old enlisted in the military can skip the 1 year and 1 day on the permit. You apply for a Class C license and bring form DS-517 (Class D page).
Road test day
The road test is given by appointment only. You book it through DDS Online Services. The test is given in English only (Test and Exams page).
You bring the vehicle. DDS gives the Class C or D road test only in a four-wheel vehicle. It needs a valid registration and plate, liability insurance and a safety inspection (Section 3: Testing Information).
With a temporary dealer tag, bring the bill of sale. The purchase must be within the last 30 days, or 7 days from a third party. That rule is on the same Section 3 page.
If your vehicle has no working turn signals, you must pass using hand signals. A rental car is allowed if the contract permits testing and lists you as a driver. Cars with driver assistance systems are fine, but you must show you can drive without them (Drivers’ Manual).
Two ways to take it
- Virtual Road Test — an examiner watches from afar through a dual-facing camera and a hands-free device. A licensed adult who is 21 or older rides with you.
- Traditional Road Test — the examiner sits in the passenger seat.
What you will be asked to do
- Parallel Parking — park midway between two standards, less than 18 inches from the curb. The manual gives the space as 22 feet long by 10 feet deep.
- Backing — back about 50 feet, slowly, straight and smooth. Turn your head and look back the whole time. The manual says no faster than 10 miles per hour.
- Stopping for Signs or Traffic Signals — signal, approach in the proper lane, and stop before the crosswalk. Stay stopped until you can go safely.
- Turnabout — turn the car in a narrow space with a two-, three- or five-point turn.
- Use of Clutch — with a standard transmission, shift smoothly and correctly.
- Approaching Corners — be in the proper lane and look both ways.
- Yielding Right-of-Way — yield to people on foot, drivers and bicyclists who enter the intersection before you.
- Turning — get in the proper lane and signal well before the turn.
- Passing — look ahead and behind so you can pass without getting in anyone’s way.
- Following — do not drive close behind other cars.
- Posture — keep both hands on the wheel and your elbow off the window. Do not chat with the examiner.
You need 75 percent to pass. At the end, the examiner reviews your score sheet with you (Test and Exams page). If you pass, you get a temporary license, and the permanent one comes by mail (Drivers’ Manual).
The test is not given in unsafe weather, and DDS reschedules you. If you fail, wait 1 day, then 7 days after a second failure. If you fail for a crash or a traffic violation, the wait is 30 days (Test and Exams page).
Moving to Georgia with a license
You must apply for a Georgia driver’s license within 30 days of becoming a Georgia resident. Every Customer Service Center can transfer a license from another state (New Georgia Residents page).
18 or older with a license from another U.S. state
- Hand in your license from that state. If it has expired, that must be less than 2 years ago.
- If you cannot hand it in, bring a certified driving history from that state. It must be dated within 30 days and show your license is valid.
- Be 18 or older. At 17, you qualify if your license equals a Class C with no time, route, purpose or passenger limits.
- Bring proof of identity, lawful presence and two documents that prove Georgia residency. Know your full Social Security number.
- Pass a vision test.
This list is in the Drivers’ Manual. It does not list the knowledge or road test for this transfer.
Under 18 with a license or permit from another state
You can normally get a matching Georgia license or permit. First you must meet every Georgia rule, including school enrollment, driver education and ADAP. Driver education from another state counts only for teens of active-duty military parents. The certificate must be within 9 months of your 16th birthday (Drivers’ Manual).
From another country
A license from outside the 50 states and D.C. cannot be transferred. You go through the full process, with the knowledge, road and vision exams. Citizens of certain countries may be exempt from the knowledge and skills tests. Most non-citizens may keep their foreign license (Drivers’ Manual).
The New Georgia Residents page has its own pages for non-citizens, drivers from other nations and U.S. territories.
Practice the written test here
Free practice is real practice. Answers show where they come from. The test-like mode stays quiet on a right answer and explains every miss.