North Carolina, Raleigh –  With the arrival of adolescence, young people awaken their interest in learning to drive and knowing what the requirements are to obtain a driver's license in North Carolina.

While first steps are important, teens must prepare to achieve the big goal of obtaining a driver's license.

These are the steps you must follow to apply for a North Carolina driver's license if you are a minor.

Since you are here: 

• What do I need to apply for a driver's license in North Carolina?

• Which states grant driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants?

Steps to get a driver's license for teenagers

If you are between 15 and 18 years old, you will need to start with a limited learner's permit.

To obtain it, you must pass both a course and a written exam, taught by the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles. (NCDMV). 

Limited Learner's Permit – Level 1 

A person at least 15 years old and younger than 18 can obtain a limited learner's permit by passing a driver's education course and a written exam administered by the DMV.

To drive, drivers with limited learner permits must: 

• Have the permit in your possession,
• Do not have another person in the front seat,
• For the first six months, drive only between 5:00 am and 9:00 pm (after the first six months, they can drive any time with supervision),
• That all people in the vehicle use seat belts or child restraint systems,
• Have a supervising driver in the front seat (parent, guardian or person signing the permit application).

Limited Provisional Permit – Level 2 

A person who is between 16 and 17 years old can obtain a limited provisional license:

• If the person has had a limited learner's permit for at least 12 months,
• Has not been convicted of a motor vehicle moving violation or seat belt violation during the previous six months and has passed a road test administered by the DMV.

Drivers with a limited provisional license: 

• The license must be in the driver's possession.
• You may drive without a supervising driver when going to and from work.
• Additionally, you may drive without a supervising driver when driving to and from a volunteer fire department, rescue squad, or emergency medical services activity, if the driver is a member.
• You may drive without a supervising driver for any other purpose from 5:00 am to 9:00 pm only.
• You must drive at any other time with a supervising driver where the supervising driver is seated next to the license holder, but need not be the only other front seat passenger.
• You must have everyone in the vehicle wear seat belts or child restraints.

Full Provisional Permit – Level 3 

If you are under 16 and no older than 18, you can get a full provisional license if:

• The person has held a limited provisional license for at least six months.
• Has not been convicted of a motor vehicle violation or seat belt violation during the previous six months.

Driver gets full driving privileges at level 3.

Related:  North Carolina Driver's Manual in Spanish Updated 2025

Documents and knowledge required to obtain a driver's license in North Carolina

Qualified applicants must successfully complete the required knowledge, traffic sign recognition, vision and driving tests.

Additionally, they must submit the following required documents to an NCDMV driver license office.

• A document that verifies the age and identity of the applicant: Birth certificate, United States passport, school documents, etc.
• Social Security card or a document that shows they have a Social Security number such as tax form 1099, form W-2.
• For US citizens, a document proving residency in the state: mail correspondence from organizations: Boy Scouts/Girls Scouts, recreational teams, etc., North Carolina school records, magazine subscriptions, medical history, etc.
• For non-US citizens, a document issued by the US government indicating legal presence.
• A document demonstrating civil liability insurance coverage.

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Steps for a teenager to apply for a driver's license in North Carolina

by Enlace Latino NC, Enlace Latino NC
May 30, 2022

Enlace Latino NC, Enlace Latino NCMay 30, 2022 North Carolina, Raleigh - With the arrival of adolescence, young people awaken their interest in learning to drive and knowing what the requirements are to obtain a driver's license in North Carolina. While first steps are important, teenagers should prepare themselves to achieve the ultimate goal of obtaining a driver's license. These are the steps you must follow to obtain a North Carolina driver's license if you are a minor. Since you're here: What do I need to apply for a driver's license in North Carolina? Which states grant driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants? Steps to get a driver's license for teenagers If you are between 15 and 18 years old, you will need to start with a limited learner's permit. To obtain it, you must pass both a course and a written exam, taught by the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles (NCDMV). Limited Learning Permit - Level 1 A person aged at least 15 and under 18 can obtain a limited learner's permit if they pass a driver education course and a written exam administered by the DMV. To operate a vehicle, drivers with limited learner's permits must: You may be interested in North Carolina DMV to begin Saturday service at some offices How much does it cost to get a driver's license in North Carolina? Having the permit in your possession, Not having another person in the front seat, For the first six months, drive only between 5:00 am and 9:00 p.m. (After the first six months, they can drive at any time with supervision), Ensure that all occupants of the vehicle use seat belts or child restraint systems. Have a supervising driver in the front seat (parent, guardian, or person who signs the permit application). Limited provisional permit - Level 2 Costs, permits and provisional licenses Limited learner's permit or provisional license $21.50 A person aged between 16 and 17 can obtain a limited provisional license: If the person has held a limited learning permit for at least 12 months, She has not been convicted of a motor vehicle movement violation or seat belt violation during the previous six months and has passed a DMV-administered road test. Drivers with a limited provisional license: The driver must have their license in their possession. You can drive without a supervising driver when traveling to and from work. Additionally, you may drive without a supervising driver when driving to and from an activity of a volunteer fire department, rescue squad, or emergency medical services, if the driver is a member. You may drive without a supervising driver for any other purpose from 5:00 am until 9:00 p.m. only. You must drive at any other time with a supervising driver where the supervising driver is seated next to the license holder, but does not need to be the only other passenger in the front seat. You must ensure that all people in the vehicle use seat belts or child restraint systems. Full provisional permit - Level 3 If you are under 16 and no older than 18, you can obtain a full provisional license if: The person has held a limited provisional license for at least six months. She has not been convicted of a motor vehicle traffic offense or a seat belt violation during the previous six months. The driver gains full driving privileges at level 3. Related: North Carolina Driver's Manual in Spanish Updated 2025 Documents and knowledge required to obtain a driver's license in North Carolina Qualified applicants must successfully complete the required knowledge, traffic sign recognition, vision, and driving tests. In addition, they must present the following required documents to an NCDMV driver's license office. A document that verifies the applicant's age and identity: Birth certificate, U.S. passport, school documents, etc. Social Security card or a document that proves they have a Social Security number, such as tax form 1099 or form W-2. For U.S. citizens, a document proving residency in the state: postal correspondence from organizations: Boy Scouts/Girl Scouts, recreational teams, etc., North Carolina school records, magazine subscriptions, medical history, etc. For non-U.S. citizens, a document issued by the U.S. government indicating legal presence. A document that proves liability insurance coverage. This <a target="_blank" href="https://enlacelatinonc.org/cuales-son-los-pasos-para-que-un-adolescente-obtenga-una-licencia-de-conductor-en-carolina-del-norte/">article</a> first appeared on <a target="_blank" href="https://enlacelatinonc.org">Enlace Latino NC</a> and is republished here under a <a target="_blank" href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.<img src="https://i0.wp.com/enlacelatinonc.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/cropped-ICO.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1" style="width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;"> <img id="republication-tracker-tool-source" src="https://enlacelatinonc.org/?republication-pixel=true&post=56770&amp;ga4=G-3EB91P98MG" style="width:1px;height:1px;"><script> PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: "https://enlacelatinonc.org/cuales-son-los-pasos-para-que-un-adolescente-obtenga-una-licencia-de-conductor-en-carolina-del-norte/", urlref: window.location.href }); } } </script> <script id="parsely-cfg" src="//cdn.parsely.com/keys/enlacelatinonc.org/p.js"></script>

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