Pro tip: When touring Michigan's diverse landscapes, from the Great Lakes to urban areas, polished driving skills are essential. Peruse our in-depth guides on manual transmission driving and skillful parallel parking. Cultivate your proficiency in reverse parking and three-point turns. Check that your mirrors are correctly set for maximum visibility. Utilize our Online Driving Simulator for further practice, and if you're an international driver, acquaint yourself with Michigan's international driver's license requirements.
I’m 14 years and 9 months - 17 years old
I’m 16 – 17 years old
I’m 18+It includes:
Driver education programs are provided by school districts and private driving schools.
You must bring proof of the following:
Use this chart to choose documents correctly.
You must have visual acuity of 20/40, and a peripheral field of vision of 140 degrees or less to and including 110 degrees.
GDL Level 2 License (intermediate license) is the second step of Michigan Graduated Driver Licensing system. It allows you to drive without supervision with certain restrictions:
Exceptions to rule 2 and 3 include driving to or from work, or authorized activity (school-sanctioned activities, official sports league events, classes of vocational instruction, religious organization activities, transporting another person in case of emergency or personal protection). You may also disregard rule 2 and 3 if you are accompanied by a licensed parent/guardian or any licensed driver at least 21 years of age if designated (in written form) by your parent/guardian.
Choose a driver education provider who is certified to teach teenagers. Check with your school for a list of approved driver education programs. Your course must include at least 6 hours of classroom instruction and a written exam.
You may need to present the following:
Find a test provider near you. Note that test fees vary in different locations but you can expect to pay around $50.00.
To pass, you must not get more than 25 points or receive an automatic failure. Read here ( ccылка вниз на road test) more about the driving skills test. If you fail, you can reschedule another test after 24 hours. If you pass, the examiner will issue a skills test certificate.
You may schedule an appointment or reserve your spot in line with MI-TIME Line. Your parent/guardian must come with you to sign the application form.
You must also bring proof of the following:
Use this chart to choose documents correctly.
You must have visual acuity of 20/40, and a peripheral field of vision of 140 degrees or less to and including 110 degrees.
You can pay by cash, check, money order. Discover, MasterCard and Visa are accepted , but a small fee is charged.
Your Level 2 license will be automatically upgraded to Level 3 (full) driver's license if you are 17 years of age and have held your Level 2 license for 6 months.
Level 3 license is the last step of Michigan Graduated Driver Licensing system. It doesn't have any restrictions. GDL system ends for teens when they turn 18 years of age. You will be given full driving privileges if you are eligible.
Note that your parents/guardians may restrict your license to Level 2, Level 1 or even cancel it if they believe you are not ready for driving privileges. Your parent may complete and mail this form 30 days before your 17th birthday to prevent you from getting the full license.
You must bring proof of the following:
Use this chart to choose documents correctly.
You will have to visit a Secretary of State branch office again and provide:
There’s no extra fee for getting the license.
Note that if this is your first license, you will be on probation for three years. If you are a resident with temporary legal presence, you will get a limited-term license.
Driving skills tests are administered by independent third-party testing organizations approved by the Secretary of State. Contact them directly to schedule your road test. The test may take 45- 75 minutes and always consists of 3 parts: vehicle inspection, basic control skills and on-street driving test.
Before scheduling your appointment, learn about all the fees you'll have to pay. Note that fees differ and are not regulated by the Michigan Department of State.
Provide the following:
This part of the test is not scored. Your examiner together with you will inspect specific components of your vehicle and check if your vehicle is safe for the test. The following equipment must be in working order:
It takes about 10 minutes and involves 3 off-road exercises:
You will be penalized each time
The examiner will assess your final position each time as well.
You must get no more than 6 errors to proceed to the next stage of the exam.
In this part of the test, you will have to demonstrate your ability to drive safely in different traffic situations including city, residential and expressway driving. You are required to follow the examiner's instructions; the instructions will be given as far in advance as possible. During the whole test, you are required
The examiner will score you on the following maneuvers:
Automatic Failures
You will fail the test automatically if you perform any of the following:
You're considered resident if you reside in Michigan and have established that you are legally present in the state.
Evidence of residency for driver license purposes includes, but is not limited to, the following:
You may use your out-of-state driver's license until your Michigan residence is established. To get your Michigan driver's license, visit a Secretary of State office. You may schedule an appointment or reserve your spot in line with MI-TIME Line.
You must bring proof of the following:
Use this chart to choose documents correctly.
You must have visual acuity of 20/40, and a peripheral field of vision of 140 degrees or less to and including 110 degrees.
It will be invalidated and given back to you as you may hold only one driver's license at a time according to Michigan law.
You can pay by cash, check, money order. Discover, MasterCard and Visa are accepted, but a small fee is charged.
Your New Michigan Driver’s license will arrive in the mail in about 3 weeks. It will be valid for 4 years or less if you have temporary legal presence in the US.
If your out-of-state license has been expired for at least 4 years, you will have to apply for a temporary instruction permit and pass a driving skills test. Learn here how to do it.
If you hold a driver's license from Canada, Germany or South Korea, you may convert your driver's license to a Michigan license without the written knowledge test, temporary instruction permit or driving skills test. The procedure is similar to converting an out-of-state driver's license.
If you hold a driver's license from another country, in most cases you will have to apply for an instruction permit and pass a driving skills test. Learn how to do it with the help of our step-by-step guide to Applying for Your Adult Driver's License in Michigan.
