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  • 14½Youngest age for driver trainingp. 15
  • 6 monthsSupervised, violation-free drivingp. 19
  • 50 hoursSupervised practice (10 at night)p. 19
  • 15Youngest age for a licensep. 3, 32

Step by step

  1. Gather your documents

    Bring originals (no photocopies or faxes) to the county driver's license office, with a parent or guardian who signs as your liability signer.

    • Proof of age and identity, such as a certified U.S. birth certificate plus a photo ID (a parent's ID works for minors)
    • Your Social Security number for verification
    • Proof of your Idaho address, dated within the last year
    • Proof you attend or finished high school or an equivalent program (under 18)

    (Idaho Driver's Handbook, p. 21–26)

  2. Get a Driver Training Instruction Permit

    From 14½ you buy the permit before the first class. While you're enrolled it lets you drive only with your driver training instructor. (Idaho Driver's Handbook, p. 15, 19–20)

  3. Finish driver training

    An approved program has 30 hours in the classroom, 6 hours observing other student drivers and 6 hours behind the wheel. The instructor then hands you the permit for the supervised period. (Idaho Driver's Handbook, p. 15, 19)

  4. Drive six supervised months

    Log at least 50 hours, 10 at night, with no traffic convictions. A conviction cancels the permit and the six months start over. (Idaho Driver's Handbook, p. 19)

  5. Pass the vision, knowledge and skills tests

    You need 20/40 vision in at least one eye, 34 of 40 on the knowledge test and 12 or fewer errors on the skills test, given by a third-party examiner. (Idaho Driver's Handbook, p. 19, 32–33)

Fees and the full list of accepted documents change from time to time, so check them on the Idaho Transportation Department, Division of Motor Vehicles website before you go.

Rules while you have a Supervised Instruction Permit

  • Drive only with a licensed driver 21 or older in the front passenger seat; nobody else may sit up front. (Idaho Driver's Handbook, p. 19)
  • Everyone in the car wears a seat belt or a child restraint if needed. (Idaho Driver's Handbook, p. 19)
  • Follow every law on alcohol and other intoxicating substances. (Idaho Driver's Handbook, p. 19)
  • A traffic conviction cancels the permit; you reapply and the six months start again. (Idaho Driver's Handbook, p. 19)

If you don't pass

After a failed knowledge or skills test you wait three days and pay the test fees again. (Idaho Driver's Handbook, p. 32–33)

What comes next

Once licensed, under 16 you may drive alone only from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., and under 17, for the first six months, carry only one unrelated passenger under 17. Your license says "Under 18 until" and expires five days after your 18th birthday. (Idaho Driver's Handbook, p. 16–17)

Ready for the knowledge test?Free Idaho practice exam: 40 questions, 34 to pass.

This guide is a free learning aid based on the Idaho Driver's Handbook (July 2026), not official advice. Rules, documents and fees can change: always confirm with the Idaho Transportation Department, Division of Motor Vehicles before you go. Page numbers are the ones printed on the handbook pages; tap one to open the official PDF at that page.