Washington, D.C. Driver's License FAQ

The provisional license comes at 16½, after a learner permit, available at 16, held six violation-free months. The full license with conditions arrives at 17, and the GRAD program's framework runs until 21.

No. The District requires the knowledge test, six clean permit months, 40 supervised hours, and the road skills test instead. No course is required at any stage.

No. Our course is not approved by the DC DMV, and the District has no course requirement. It's an optional study course for building knowledge and safe driving habits before and during the licensing process.

Forty supervised hours, logged on the DMV's certification form with a photocopy of the supervising driver's license attached, and completed alongside six violation-free permit months.

No, and DC's rule is unusual: even supervised, permit holders drive only between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m.

Solo driving runs 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. during the school year, and extends to midnight in July and August, the District's summer-hours twist.

You wait 72 hours to retake it, and a sixth failure means waiting a full year from the date of your first attempt. Arrive with a licensed adult 21 or older, too, or the DMV cancels the appointment.

The provisional license requires six months with no traffic violations, so a ticket, including camera enforcement, can push your timeline back. In the District, the clean record is the requirement.