How to Get Your Wisconsin Instruction Permit

Step by step

1. Gather your documents

   Bring originals (no photocopies, nothing expired) proving:

   • Your full name and date of birth
   • U.S. citizenship or legal status
   • Your identity
   • Wisconsin residency (two documents)
   • Your Social Security number

   (Wisconsin Motorists' Handbook, p. 3)

2. Enroll in driver education (under 18)

   Sign up for driver education, including the behind-the-wheel part. Your school gives you the signed application form MV3001. (Wisconsin Motorists' Handbook, p. 5)

3. Get an adult sponsor (under 18)

   A parent, step-parent or legal guardian signs the application and accepts responsibility for your driving; other relatives can sponsor if you don't live with a parent. (Wisconsin Motorists' Handbook, p. 3–4)

4. Pass the vision screening and two tests

   At a DMV service center: the vision screening, the highway signs test and the knowledge test. No appointment is needed. (Wisconsin Motorists' Handbook, p. 1, 5)

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

Rules while you have a instruction permit

• A licensed driver with two or more years of experience and a regular license sits beside you (instructor or parent, guardian or spouse 19+, or anyone 21+ with a parent's written OK). (Wisconsin Motorists' Handbook, p. 5)
• After dark, the person beside you must be a qualified instructor or a licensed driver aged 25 or older. (Wisconsin Motorists' Handbook, p. 5)
• Use a phone only to report an emergency. (Wisconsin Motorists' Handbook, p. 49)
• Everyone in the car wears a seat belt. (Wisconsin Motorists' Handbook, p. 54)