Massachusetts · Handbook chapter 1 · 7 min read

Chapter 1: Getting your permit and license

Who may drive in Massachusetts, the learner's permit exam (25 questions, 18 to pass, 25 minutes), vision standards, ID documents, driving on a permit, the road test and the RMV fees for a Class D license.

Why this chapter matters

Every Massachusetts driver starts with the same steps: a learner's permit exam, time on the permit and a road test. The exam itself asks about permit and license rules, so the numbers in this chapter are worth learning: 16, 25 questions, 18 correct, 25 minutes, 21 years old and six months.

Who can drive in Massachusetts

• No one under 16 may drive in Massachusetts, even with a permit or license from a place that allows younger drivers.
• You must be a Massachusetts resident to get a Massachusetts license or ID. New residents must switch to a Massachusetts license and there is no grace period.
• Visitors aged 16 or over may drive with a valid license from their home state or country. A foreign license that is not in English needs an English translation carried with it.
• You are allowed a single driver's license or ID card at any one time, and never licenses from two states.

License classes

A license is valid for up to five years and usually expires on your birthday. Drivers under 21 get a vertical card marked "Under 21". You choose either a REAL ID or a Standard card: the price and driving rights are the same, but only a REAL ID (or another federally accepted ID such as a passport) works for domestic flights and some federal buildings.

Getting a learner's permit

You must be at least 16 to apply for a Class D permit. If you are under 18, a parent, legal guardian, social worker (the Department of Children and Families) or boarding school headmaster gives written consent by signing your application. The steps:

1. Study the Driver's Manual.
2. Start the application online, book a visit to an RMV Service Center (AAA members can use a AAA branch), and submit it.
3. Show the identification documents the RMV requires (they differ for REAL ID and Standard cards).
4. Pay the $30 learner's permit exam fee.
5. Have your photo and signature captured.
6. Pass a vision test or hand in an RMV Vision Screening Certificate from your eye doctor.
7. Pass the learner's permit exam.

Vision standards

For a full license you need at least 20/40 in your better eye (with glasses or contacts if you wear them) and at least 120 degrees of horizontal side vision with both eyes. Between 20/50 and 20/70 in the better eye, you may qualify for a daylight-only license.

The learner's permit exam

• 25 multiple-choice questions. You pass with 18 correct within 25 minutes, which works out at about one minute a question.
• The RMV lists the topics as the rules of the road, the consequences of driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol, the Junior Operator Law, and sharing the road with people who are visually impaired, bicyclists and pedestrians. Road signs are part of the same test, not a separate section.
• Take it at a Service Center during your permit appointment, or online after you have submitted your application. Online, you need a computer with a camera (no phone or tablet), a quiet room with nobody else present, and no manual or internet help.
• Offered in 37 languages, including American Sign Language (ASL is only at a Service Center). Audio exams are available in every language, and the time limit for them is also 25 minutes.
• Manuals, notes and electronic devices are banned in the testing area. Anyone found cheating fails and cannot hold a license or permit for 60 days.
• If you fail, or your permit expires, you pay the $30 fee again for another exam.

Accommodations

If a disability makes a standard exam hard, you can ask for extended time, a paper exam, or an oral exam read by an RMV employee. Oral exams in other languages are available on request.

Driving on a permit

A permit is valid for up to two years (or for your authorized stay in the U.S., if shorter). While you hold it:

• You must have a licensed driver in the seat next to you who is at least 21, holds a valid U.S. license and has at least one year of driving experience.
• If you are under 18, you may not drive from 12:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. unless a licensed parent or legal guardian with at least one year of experience is with you.
• You must carry the permit whenever you drive.
• You may drive in another state only where that state's law allows it.

Driver's education

Everyone under 18 applying for a Class D license must complete an RMV-approved driver's education program: 30 hours in the classroom, 12 hours behind the wheel and 6 hours observing another student drive. Chapter 2 covers the extra supervised hours and the other Junior Operator rules.

The road test

• You need the right class of permit to book a test. Book, change or cancel it online. Cancelling with more than 72 hours notice costs nothing extra.
• Bring your printed permit, a completed road test application (with parental consent if you are under 18), a registered and inspected vehicle with its registration, and a sponsor.
• The sponsor must be at least 21, have at least one year of driving experience and hold a valid U.S. license (a foreign license does not qualify). The sponsor sits behind you during the test.
• The vehicle needs a parking brake the examiner can reach, a rear seat for the sponsor, and no "donut" spare tire.
• Under 18, you need a clean record for the six months before the test: no surchargeable incidents, no drug or alcohol suspensions and no drug or alcohol convictions.
• The examiner will ask you to use hand signals, parallel park, back up about 50 feet, stop, start and turn on a hill, and make a three-point turn.
• If you fail or miss the test, wait at least 14 days before the next one. You may take no more than six Class D road tests in 12 months.

After you pass, a prepaid license is mailed to you and your permit works as a temporary license for up to 60 days.

Fees