California, what to bring, 18 and over

What to bring for the California permit test if you are 18 or over

At 18 or over in California there is no driver education certificate to bring and no parent or guardian signature, and Vehicle Code s. 12814.6 and the handbook attach the six month permit hold and the supervised hours requirement to applicants under 18 only. The test you sit is at a DMV office, where the Learner's Permits page puts the pass mark at 80 percent and gives no question count; the last length DMV published for the adult form, in its 2006 and 2008 research reports, was 36 questions with six errors allowed. The instruction permit application is valid for 12 months, you get three attempts per application before you must reapply, and there is no seven day wait after a failure for adults, only for minors. Leave the handbook and your phone in the car: testing aids are not allowed during knowledge tests. Checked in September 2026.

Source: California DMV, Learner's Permits; California Driver's Handbook (DL 600), the testing process; Vehicle Code s. 12814.6, checked September 25, 2026.

Which CA test do you needCA

EExam simulatorFull California DMV format: 36 questions, 30 to pass, every answer keyed to a statute.1Warm up runA shorter 20 question run pulled from across the CA bank, for a first look before the full sitting.SSigns and lane markingsSigns, signals and lane markings on their own: 59 questions, the group that costs the most points.LState statute questionsThe 27 rules that belong to California alone, each carrying the statute number it was drafted against.

Every California test and ruleNo account needed

What identity and residency papers does an adult bring to a California permit test?

For a first-time applicant 18 or over, the instruction permits page keeps the list short: be at least 18, complete the Driver's License or ID Card application, then at a DMV office show your California ID card or proof of identity and residency, pay the application fee, pass a vision exam, have a photo taken, and pass the multiple-choice knowledge test. DL 1144 adds that every applicant gives DMV a Social Security number unless legally present but ineligible for one, and DMV's December 2023 release lists a thumbprint among the office steps.

Both DL 1144, the Federal Non-Compliant documents list last revised in November 2025, and the REAL ID checklist accept a valid U.S. passport or passport card, a certified U.S. birth certificate (the REAL ID checklist refuses abstracts), a Certificate of Naturalization or Certificate of U.S. Citizenship, a valid Permanent Resident Card, and a foreign passport with an approved I-94; the REAL ID checklist also wants a valid U.S. visa in that passport. If the name on the document differs from the name on your application, add the adoption, name change, marriage, domestic partnership, or dissolution record that connects them.

For residency the count depends on the card. REAL ID takes 2 different printed documents, each carrying your first and last name and a California mailing address that matches the eDL 44. A federal noncompliant permit takes 1 document from DL 1144 Section 2, and DL 1144 accepts photocopies and computer-generated copies for it. Papers that appear on both lists include a home utility or cell phone bill, a bank or credit union record, a lease signed by both landlord and tenant, an insurance document, or a California vehicle registration. Using a P.O. Box on a REAL ID application? One of the 2 documents must show the box and your physical address.

Adult original Class C figures on current DMV pages

$46

Original Class C application fee

California DMV licensing fees page

80%

Passing score stated on the instruction permits page

California DMV instruction permits page

4:30 p.m.

Latest start time for an in-office knowledge test

California DMV instruction permits page

REAL ID, federal noncompliant, or AB 60: which stack goes in the envelope?

Decide on the card type before you gather papers, because each type has its own list. The instruction permits page notes that since May 7, 2025, boarding a domestic flight or entering some federal facilities takes a federally compliant card such as a passport, a military ID, or a REAL ID. A federal noncompliant card does not qualify, so choose it only if you will carry a passport or other compliant ID when you fly.

Terminal A at Sacramento International Airport on a wet day.Photo: BDS2006 ( talk ), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

The REAL ID checklist asks for 1 identity document showing your full name and date of birth, plus the 2 residency papers, and the application asks for your Social Security number. If you cannot show that your presence in the U.S. is authorized under federal law, Vehicle Code s. 12801.9 still lets DMV issue an original license if you meet every other licensing requirement and prove identity and California residency. That is the AB 60 route, and DMV's AB 60 Checklist tells you which documents it takes. Under s. 12801.9 and s. 12800.5, which covers every California license that is not a REAL ID, the card carries a notice that it is not acceptable for official federal purposes.

Adult original permit: three California document tracks

	REAL ID	Federal noncompliant	AB 60
Who it is for	Legally present, wants a federally compliant card	Legally present, no need for a federally compliant card	Unable to prove legal presence in the United States
Identity	One proof with full name and date of birth, from the REAL ID checklist	One document from the DL 1144 Section 1 list	Proof of identity, per the AB 60 Checklist
Residency	2 different printed documents	1 document from DL 1144 Section 2	Proof of California residency, per the AB 60 Checklist
Social Security number	Required if eligible	Required; legally present people ineligible for one are exempt	The AB 60 page states no SSN rule; follow the AB 60 Checklist
Federal status	Federally compliant card	Not federally compliant; fly on a passport or other compliant ID	Card must say it is not acceptable for official federal purposes

Sources: California DMV REAL ID checklist, DL 1144 (Rev. 11/2025), the AB 60 page, the May 7, 2025 note on the instruction permits page, and Vehicle Code s. 12801.9 and s. 12800.5.

I am 18 and have never been licensed. Do I still need a permit, and what do I skip?

Yes. DMV's driver licenses page says an applicant over 18 who has never held a license in any state or country may get an instruction permit and use it until ready for the driving test, and the handbook makes the permit a precondition of the drive test for anyone without a license from California or another state. What changes at 18 is the kind of permit. The same driver licenses page notes that a provisional instruction permit is only for drivers under 18, and the supervision, holding-period, and practice-hour rules in Vehicle Code s. 12814.6, the Brady-Jared Teen Driver Safety Act, belong to that provisional program.

Your practice rule is Vehicle Code s. 12509(d). With the permit on you, you may drive a vehicle other than a motorcycle, motorized scooter, or motorized bicycle while a California-licensed driver who is 18 or older, holds a valid license of the right class, and is not on probation rides in the driver's compartment close enough to help you control it.

Can an adult take the California knowledge test from a laptop at home?

No, not for a first permit. Adults were the first group allowed to test at home: DMV's December 2023 release says the monitored online exam arrived in 2022 for eligible applicants over 18, on a webcam computer, weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. That option is closed to new applicants. A January 2025 notice on DMV's Online Learning page said online knowledge testing was unavailable to new driver's license applicants from January 3, 2025, and that anyone who had paid online without finishing the test would take it in an office.

The current Online Learning page describes only eLearning, which is for renewals, and the instruction permits page lists the knowledge test among the steps at the DMV office. So plan on one visit that covers everything: documents, fee, vision exam, photo, and the test, started before 4:30 p.m. If you uploaded REAL ID documents to the eDL 44, the eDL 44 page tells you to bring those same originals to the appointment.

Adult original permit, application to counter

1
Open an eDL 44
Create or log into MyDMV and fill in your legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, and California address. The application comes in 10 languages, times out after 15 minutes, and is stored for up to one year; DMV processes it only when you visit a field office.
2
Book the office visit
Schedule a field office appointment and pack the original identity document and the 1 or 2 residency papers your card type needs.
3
Pay and clear the checks
Pay the $46 original Class C fee at the counter (cash adds nothing, a card adds 2.1 percent), then pass the vision exam and have your photo and thumbprint taken.
4
Take the knowledge test
Start it before 4:30 p.m. and score at least 80 percent, and the instruction permit is issued.

What does the office visit cost, and what can stay at home?

The fee for an original Class C application is $46, and the handbook calls the application fee nonrefundable. At the counter, paying cash or by money order costs nothing extra, while a card adds 2.1 percent, about 97 cents.

Class C fees on the current DMV fee table

Original or renewal Class C application46 USD

The permit-test fee

Replacement or information change37 USD

Not the original-permit fee

Behind-the-wheel retest9 USD

Drive test only, after you already hold the permit

California DMV licensing fees page, Class C rows, checked September 25, 2026.

The knowledge test needs no car, no supervising driver, and no insurance card. Those come on drive-test day, when the handbook's testing chapter asks for your permit, a California-licensed driver 18 or older, a vehicle that is safe to drive, and valid proof of insurance and registration. A rental car qualifies only when you are named on the contract and the contract allows drive tests.

What if I fail, or I already hold a license from another country?

The handbook's testing chapter allows 3 attempts at the knowledge test before you must reapply, and the driver licenses page applies the same limit to each required knowledge test. Because Vehicle Code s. 12509(b) requires the permit to be issued within 12 months of the application date, every retake has to fit inside that year, and a third failure means starting a new application.

A valid license from another country is not a license from California or another state, so the handbook's rule still applies: you get an instruction permit before the drive test. The driver licenses page sends a foreign license holder through the same application as someone licensed in another state, with the same identity, residency, and Social Security steps, and adds a driving test. The instruction permits FAQ answers the follow-up directly: even with a valid foreign license, you need an accompanying driver to and from that drive test.

Worked example

Andre, 22, Oakland, first license, REAL ID

1Andre Vasquez is 22, lives in Oakland, and has never held a driver's license anywhere. He flies from Sacramento on November 20, 2026, on his U.S. passport, which already meets the May 7, 2025 rule. He still picks REAL ID so his future license will be federally compliant too.
2On Tuesday, September 8, 2026, he submits an eDL 44 with his Social Security number and books a field office appointment for Friday, September 11, at 9:15 a.m.
3At the appointment he shows the passport, a cell phone bill and a bank statement that both show his Oakland address, and his Social Security number. He pays the $46 fee with a debit card, which adds 2.1 percent, about 97 cents.
4He passes the vision exam, has his photo and thumbprint taken, and starts the knowledge test well before 4:30 p.m. He passes on his first try and leaves with an instruction permit.
5That evening his roommate, 24, California-licensed and not on probation, rides in the front passenger seat while Andre practices, which Vehicle Code s. 12509(d) allows. The 6-month hold and 50-hour log in Vehicle Code s. 12814.6 do not apply to him.

Outcome. Had Andre failed, he would have had 2 more attempts on the same application, all at a field office, with no waiting period for adults stated on any DMV page. A third failure would have meant a new application.

Bag for a California permit appointment at 18 or over

eDL 44 confirmation number
Emailed when you submit; the office looks up your application with it.
Identity original
Passport, certified birth certificate, or another listed document.
Residency printouts
Two for REAL ID, one for federal noncompliant.
Social Security number
Required if eligible.
Uploaded originals
Every document you uploaded to the eDL 44 for REAL ID.
$46
Original Class C fee, nonrefundable. 2.1 percent card fee in the office.

From the driver licenses page, the instruction permits page, the eDL 44 page, DL 1144, the REAL ID checklist, and the licensing fees page.

eLearning is not the original-permit test

If a renewal page or an email mentions a no-fail course you can finish on a phone, that is eLearning, and only noncommercial Class C renewal applicants qualify. Original applicants are on the online learning page's list of those who do not. An adult getting a first permit sits the scored knowledge test at a DMV office.

What does California DMV not publish on this?

How the six month hold applies at 18. DMV's Driver Training Schools and Knowledge and Drive Tests Preparation pages each say anyone who has never held a license must hold a provisional instruction permit for six months, with no age given, while Vehicle Code s. 12814.6 and the handbook tie that hold to applicants under 18. This page follows the statute; DMV has not reconciled the two.

Sources

Ready to practice for the California test?

How this works in other states

The under-18 stack and the 18-and-over stack for Florida, Texas, California and New York, including REAL ID and name changes. Read the guide.

Written by Vikas. Checked against the source above on September 25, 2026. California DMV does not run this site and does not endorse it.

What to bring for the California permit test if you are 18 or over

What identity and residency papers does an adult bring to a California permit test?

REAL ID, federal noncompliant, or AB 60: which stack goes in the envelope?

I am 18 and have never been licensed. Do I still need a permit, and what do I skip?

Can an adult take the California knowledge test from a laptop at home?

What does the office visit cost, and what can stay at home?

What if I fail, or I already hold a license from another country?

Andre, 22, Oakland, first license, REAL ID

What does California DMV not publish on this?

More questions about this in California

Does California still make a 35-year-old take an instruction permit before the drive test?

Can my 19-year-old friend sit next to me while I practice on a California adult permit?

I uploaded my passport to the eDL 44. Do I still carry the physical passport to California DMV?

Is there a required wait after an adult fails the California knowledge test?

Do I need a California insurance card in my pocket for the adult knowledge test?

Can I take the original California permit test on my phone in bed?

Sources

Other questions about California

Ready to practice for the California test?

How this works in other states