Pro tip: Navigating New York's bustling streets and tranquil upstate roads requires adept driving. Explore our guides on stick shift operation and parallel parking to sharpen your skills. Enhance your aptitude for reverse parking and three-point turns. Correct mirror placement is crucial. Our Online Driving Simulator offers an excellent practice platform, and international drivers should study New York's international driver's license requirements.
Complete this guide to select your documents correctly.
The fee you pay depends primarily on your age.
Residents of Bronx, Kings (Brooklyn), New York (Manhattan), Queens, Richmond (Staten Island), Dutchess, Nassau, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Suffolk and Westchester must also pay a Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District (MCTD) fee. The MCTD fee is $1.00 for every 6 months the permit will be valid.
There is an additional $30.00 fee for an Enhanced Driver Permit.
Learner permit restrictions: You may not drive unless accompanied by a supervising driver age 21 or older with valid license. You may not drive on any street within a park in New York City, on any bridge or tunnel under the jurisdiction of the Tri-borough Bridge and Tunnel Authority, on the Cross County, Hutchinson River, Saw Mill River, or Taconic State parkways in Westchester County and in a DMV road test area.
Moreover, The Graduated License Law adds more restrictions on junior permit holders, which depend upon where and when you will be driving in New York State. Check your area additional restrictions here.
DJ- Junior Operator driver license will give you more driving privileges that vary considerably in Upstate New York, New York City and Long Island due to the Graduated License Law.
Junior license restrictions: You cannot drive within the five boroughs of New York City under any circumstances until you receive your adult license. You may drive in Nassau and Suffolk counties without a supervising driver only between your home and the place of study or employment. In upstate New York you may drive without a supervising driver only between 5 AM and 9 PM and only directly between your home and your place of study or employment between 9 PM and 5 AM. There are more specific restrictions in each area.
Practise driving
You must drive at least 50 hours with supervision, which includes 15 hours after sunset and at least 10 hours in moderate to heavy traffic. Have you parent or guardian complete a Certification of Supervised Driving (MV-262).
Take a driver education course
You can complete either a high school or college driver education course and receive a Driver Education Certificate (MV-285) (valid for 2 years), or a 5-hour Pre-licensing Course at a driving school and get a Pre-licensing Course Certificate (MV-278) (valid for one year). You must bring the original certificate to your road test to turn in to the examiner. If your certificate expires, you must complete the course again. Remember that the certificate must be valid on the date that you make your Road Test appointment but can be expired on the date you take your road test.
Schedule your road test
You can schedule your road test after at least 6 months from the date you received your junior learner permit but before your permit expires. You do not need to take your test in the area of the state where you live. To get the earliest appointment possible, be sure to check multiple locations. Schedule online or by phone: 1-518-402-2100.
Pass your road test
You should arrive at least 30 minutes before your appointment and bring you learner permit, glasses or contacts (if your permit states you need corrective lenses), your original Pre-licensing Course or Driver Education Certificate (copies are not acceptable), a Certification of Supervised Driving (must be given to the examiner each time you take a road test) and a vehicle to drive during the test. If you pass your test, the examiner will give you an interim license that allows you to drive. Keep the interim license with your photo learner permit. Your new license will arrive in the mail in about 2 weeks.If you do not pass your test twice, you must pay the $10.00 fee for up to two more tests.
How to Remove Your Junior License restrictions at the age of 17?
If you are 17, you are eligible for a senior driver license if you have a junior driver license and have completed a state-approved high school or college driver education course. To change your junior license to a senior license, bring your junior license and the Student Certificate of Completion (MV-285) to any DMV office. If you do not change your junior license to a senior license, the junior drivers’ restrictions will apply until you are 18, even if you carry the completion certificate with you. You can also give your certificate with your junior permit to the license examiner at your road test. You will automatically receive a senior license when you become eligible.
Complete this guide to select your documents correctly.
The fee you pay depends primarily on your age.
Residents of Bronx, Kings (Brooklyn), New York (Manhattan), Queens, Richmond (Staten Island), Dutchess, Nassau, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Suffolk and Westchester must also pay a Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District (MCTD) fee. The MCTD fee is $1.00 for every 6 months the license will be valid.
There is an additional $30.00 fee for an Enhanced Driver License.
You should arrive at least 30 minutes before your appointment and bring you learner permit, glasses or contacts (if your permit indicates you need corrective lenses), your original Pre-licensing Course or Driver Education Certificate (copies are not acceptable), and a vehicle to drive during the test. If you pass your test, the examiner will give you an interim license that allows you to drive. Keep the interim license with your photo learner permit. Your new license will arrive in the mail in about 2 weeks.
If you do not pass your test twice, you must pay the $10.00 fee for up to two more tests.
The test usually takes about 15 minutes. Listen to the examiner and follow the instructions.
You will be demonstrating the following skills:
If you pass the test, the license examiner will give you an interim license that allows you to drive. Keep the interim license with your photo learner permit till your license arrives in the mail.
If you fail your test, your learner permit remains valid until the expiration date. If your learner permit expires before your next road test, you must get a new learner permit. You can schedule another road test, but you must pay additional fees if you failed your first two road tests. You will need to wait at least one day to take the test again, but usually, the earliest date is within three to five weeks (10 weeks during school breaks).
The NYS Vehicle and Traffic Law says the term "resident" means domiciliary, that is, one who lives in this state with the intention of making it a fixed and permanent abode.
If you live in a house, a home, an apartment, a room or other similar place in New York State for 90 days, it is considered "presumptive evidence" that you are a resident of New York State. However, students from other states or countries who attend school in New York State are usually not considered residents of New York, so they don’t have to exchange their license.
Your out-of-state or Canadian license must have your photograph, be valid or expired less than 24 months ago and issued at least 6 months before you apply for a New York license. If your out-of-state photo driver license does not show the date it was issued, get a certified driver license record from the state that issued the license that indicates the date of issue.
You cannot exchange your license if it is
Your New York license will be valid for 5 years.
Tip! You cannot exchange out-of-state permit for a New York State permit.
You will get a temporary non-photo license document. Allow 2 weeks for your new license to arrive in the mail.
If you have a driver license from another country except Canada, you should only apply for a New York State driver license if you become a resident of New York State or if you do not have a driver license from your home country.
If you become a resident of NYS, you must pass a written test, complete a 5-hour pre-licensing course and pass a road test. See the complete guide how to apply for your NYS driver license.
When you pass your road test, you must surrender your foreign driver license to the DMV road test examiner. The local DMV office will destroy your foreign driver license after 60 days. If you plan to return to your home country and will need your foreign driver license, ask the road test examiner how to make sure that your foreign driver license is not destroyed.
