Getting a Georgia License: Who Needs One, Vision, License Classes, Fees, Real ID, the Class C Permit, Class D and Class C Licenses, New Residents, and the Knowledge and Road Tests
Written for aiforu2 as the source for a practice-test bank and the on-device tutor for the Georgia driver's license knowledge exam. The facts follow the official manual; the wording is ours.
Source: Georgia Driver's Manual 2023–2024, Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS), section 1 "General Licensing Information" (pp. 4–6), section 2 "Obtaining a License, Permit or Identification Card" (pp. 8–11) and section 3 "Testing Information" (pp. 12–13).
Who needs a Georgia license
Anyone who drives on Georgia roads must hold a Georgia license or permit within 30 days of becoming a resident. You are a resident if you keep a permanent home here, take a job or enter your children in school here, or have simply been in the state 30 days or more.
Exempt from a Georgia license: federal employees driving government vehicles on official business; nonresidents 16 or older with a valid home-state or home-country license (Georgia's restrictions still apply to them); active military members and their spouses and dependents with a valid home-state license; service members with a license issued abroad by the U.S. armed forces, for 45 days after returning; farm tractors and equipment on the highway for farm business; reservists driving government vehicles on duty; someone taking the driving exam with a licensed Responsible Adult 21 or older or an examiner; migrant farm workers here under 90 days a year with another state's license; residents 15 or older in a training vehicle under the direct supervision of a DDS-licensed instructor (who must first test their eyesight); personal transportation vehicles on roads built for them; and nonresident students 16 or older with a valid home license (plus an international permit if it is not in English) who paid nonresident tuition.
Applicants under 18
Anyone under 18 needs a parent, legal guardian or responsible adult present to sign the application and the Responsible Adult Affidavit; proof of completing the Alcohol and Drug Awareness Program (ADAP); proof of school enrollment; and, for a Class D license or a Class M permit at 16 or 17, proof of an approved driver education course plus 40 hours of supervised driving, 6 at night.
Surrendering old cards and vision
When renewing, replacing or transferring, you normally surrender the previous license, permit or ID card. Most non-citizens may keep a foreign license; U.S. citizens may not keep foreign licenses or IDs.
Minimum vision for a non-commercial license is 20/60 in one eye, with or without lenses, and a horizontal field of at least 140 degrees. Fail the screening and you get a Vision Report (DS-274) for an optometrist or ophthalmologist to complete. Pass with glasses or contacts and a corrective lenses restriction goes on the license. Drivers 64 and over repeat the vision screening every eight years, and bioptic-lens drivers file updated medical information every two years.
License classes
| Class | Purpose |
|---|---|
| C | Non-commercial license for drivers 18 and older (and new residents aged 17 with an equivalent out-of-state license) |
| D | Provisional license for drivers 16 and 17 |
| M | Motorcycle operator |
| E, F | Non-commercial licenses for drivers of vehicles that are exempt from commercial licensing (free for volunteer firefighters) |
| CP, MP, EP, FP | Instructional permits: the class letter followed by P |
Three-wheel autocycles with a steering wheel do not need a Class M license, and DDS gives no road tests in them. Commercial Classes A, B and C are covered in the Commercial Drivers Manual.
Fees and restrictions
A driver's license (Classes A, B, C, E, F, M) costs $32 for 8 years; a Class D provisional license $10 for 5 years; an instructional permit $10; a replacement $5; a Georgia ID card $32 for 8 years; a voting-only ID card is free with proof of voter registration; a limited permit $25; veteran and National Guard licenses are free. Renewing online or through the DDS 2 GO app earns a $5 discount. Customer Service Centers take cash, Visa, Mastercard debit and credit, Discover, American Express and mobile pay, but no checks or money orders. One free name or address change is allowed per issuance term. A replacement requested within 150 days of expiry (30 days for a motorcycle permit) becomes a full renewal at full cost.
Restrictions appear as codes on the license; if there are none, the letter X is shown. Common codes: A no restrictions, B corrective lenses, C mechanical aids, D prosthetic aids, F automatic transmission, G daylight only, H employer vehicle only, I bioptic lenses, J hearing aid, Z ignition interlock.
Expired license, carrying it, Real ID
A license expired more than two years requires the vision test, the road test and the knowledge exam again. You must have your license or permit with you whenever you drive and show it to any officer who asks.
For a Real ID (a star in the upper right corner) bring an original or certified identity document (birth certificate, U.S. passport, Certificate of Naturalization, I-551), know your full Social Security number, and bring two proofs of Georgia residence dated within the last six months; a name different from the identity document needs a certified marriage certificate, divorce decree or court order. Since May 7, 2025, a Real ID is needed to board a domestic flight or enter a federal building.
Class C Instructional Permit (CP)
From age 15 you may apply. Bring identity, lawful-presence and residency documents, know your Social Security number, and if under 18 bring school enrollment proof and a parent, guardian or responsible adult, who may revoke the permit for any reason until you turn 18. Pass the vision test and the knowledge exam on road signs and road rules; the $10 test fee is paid before every attempt and is not refunded. The permit lets you drive a Class C vehicle only with a licensed Class C driver 21 or older who is fit to take control and sits beside you. A CP is valid for two years.
Class D Provisional License
At 16, after holding a valid permit for one year and one day, you may take the road test (by appointment). Surrender the permit, show school enrollment and ADAP completion, have the responsible adult sign, pass the road test, and complete driver education: 30 hours of classroom or an equivalent online course, plus 6 hours on the road with a certified instructor or the DDS Parent-Teen Driving Guide, plus 40 hours of other supervised driving with 6 at night, certified by affidavit at the road test. Teens of active military parents may use an out-of-state driver education certificate issued within 9 months of the 16th birthday; a 17-year-old enlisted in the military skips the one-year permit period and gets a Class C license.
Class D conditions: no driving from midnight to 5 a.m., no exceptions; first six months, only immediate family as passengers (parents, step-parents, grandparents, siblings, step-siblings, children and anyone living at the driver's home); second six months, only one passenger under 21 outside the family; after that, no more than three passengers under 21 outside the family; and 12 months free of major traffic convictions before applying for Class C.
Class C License
A Class D holder may apply at 18 after holding the D license to 18 or for one year and one day with no major violations in the past 12 months; the Class C then costs $32 for 8 years with no more testing for U.S. citizens. A permit holder must be 18, pass the road test and sign the 40-hour affidavit. A first-time applicant 18 or older may apply for a Class C directly (documents, knowledge and road tests, 40-hour affidavit) or start with a permit.
ID cards, veterans, new residents
A state ID card costs $32 for 8 years ($5 with a referral from an approved non-profit); disability ID cards cost $5 for 8 years (permanent) or six months (temporary, physician verification always required). Veterans with any discharge other than dishonorable get a free license or ID with a DD214 or a DS-516 Certificate of Eligibility; the spouse of a disabled veteran or the unmarried surviving spouse gets an honorary license; National Guard and active reserve members get a free license with form DS-318.
New residents must apply within 30 days. Transferring a valid U.S. or D.C. license (expired less than two years): surrender it or bring a certified driving history dated within 30 days; be 18, or 17 with an unrestricted Class C equivalent; prove identity, lawful presence, Social Security number and residency (two documents); and pass the vision test. Under 18, all Georgia teen requirements (school enrollment, driver education, ADAP) apply. Licenses from other countries or U.S. territories are non-transferable: complete the knowledge, road and vision exams, unless your country is on the DDS exemption list.
The knowledge exam
Given on a walk-in basis at every Customer Service Center; start at least 30 minutes before closing. Oral exams and interpreters are available by appointment. Road rules tests come in some other languages, but every driver must read simple English as used on highway signs, and the road signs test and the road test are English only. No pens, paper, phones or other devices in the testing area, and no talking to anyone but the examiner; a violation is misconduct and counts as a failure. Two parts: road signs, identify signs, signals and markers, 15 of 20 to pass; and road rules, driver responsibility, laws and safe practices, 15 of 20 to pass.
The road test
By appointment only, in a four-wheel vehicle you provide with valid registration (or a dealer tag with a bill of sale from the last 30 days, 7 days if bought privately), liability insurance shown by card or registration, and a passing safety inspection. Without working turn signals you must use hand signals. Rental cars are allowed only with the contract naming you as driver and proof of insurance. Driver-assistance features are allowed, but you must show you can drive without them. The test may be virtual, with a remote examiner watching through a dual-facing camera and a licensed adult 21 or older riding along, or traditional, with the examiner in the passenger seat. Bad weather cancels and reschedules.
You will: parallel park midway between two standards, no more than 18 inches from the curb, in a space 22 feet by 10 feet; back in a straight line about 50 feet at no more than 10 mph, looking over your shoulder; stop properly for signs and signals before the crosswalk; make a three-point turn; shift smoothly if manual; approach intersections in the proper lane looking both ways; yield to pedestrians, vehicles and bicyclists already in the intersection; signal well before turns; check front and rear before passing; keep a safe following distance; and keep both hands on the wheel without chatting with the examiner. You must score at least 75 percent. Pass everything and you get a temporary credential with the permanent card mailed to you. After a first failure of any part, wait until the next day; after a second or later failure, wait 7 days. Tuesday is the busiest day at DDS centers.
Practise this with Georgia Driver License questions
More of this guide
TADRA's three phases, school enrollment proof, the responsible adult, Joshua's Law, teens moving to Georgia, parent-requested revocation, under-21 suspensions for reckless driving, racing, 4-point offenses and DUI, renewal by mail, voter registration, the $10 replacement and its documents, 60-day address and name changes, MVR fees and donations.
The three basic laws, who yields to whom, turns on red, the school bus rule and the median exception, how to pass on a two-lane road and where passing is prohibited (100 feet from a crossing or bridge, 200 feet from oncoming traffic), hand signals, right and left turns, U-turns, where you may never stop or park (15, 20, 30, 50 and 75 feet rules), parallel parking, keep right except to pass, and backing up.
Statutory speed limits, the $200 Super Speeder fee, driving too slowly, stopping 15 to 50 feet from the tracks, orange work zones and their $100 to $2,000 fines, controlled-access roads and Peach Pass, coasting, the .08 and .02 DUI limits, reckless, aggressive and stunt driving penalties, trailers, medians, headlight rules (500 and 200 feet), night driving, safety belts, child restraints under 8, distraction, litter, passing postal and sanitation vehicles, and hands-free penalties.
The seven sign shapes and their colors, regulatory, warning, guide, construction and service signs, express lanes, signal colors and arrows including the flashing yellow arrow, dark and flashing signals, lane control and pedestrian signals, the pedestrian hybrid beacon, stop and crosswalk lines, center, no-passing, double white, edge and lane lines, traffic striping, two-way left turn lanes, bicycle lanes and roundabouts.
The penny test, entering the car, 9-and-3 steering, low beams in fog, hydroplaning at 35 and 55 mph, steering into a skid, advisory speeds on curves, leaving the pavement without jerking the wheel, blowouts, winter driving, carbon monoxide, the two-second rule, stopping distance factors, entering and exiting expressways, gores, HOV and HOT lanes, highway hypnosis, jammed accelerators and brake failure, and metro Atlanta emissions testing.
When you must stop for pedestrians, unmarked crosswalks, right on red and pedestrians, the 10-foot rule on multi-lane roads, bicyclists' right to the full lane and the three-foot passing law, bicycle arm signals, giving motorcycles a full lane and three to four seconds, the school bus stop law and its penalties, 80,000-pound trucks and their side, rear and front No-Zones, the TACT project, and trailering.
Cancellation, revocation, suspension and commercial disqualification, mandatory suspension offenses, implied consent and the one-year refusal suspension, the points chart and the 15-point, under-21 and under-18 suspensions, the 7-point reduction and 20 percent fine reduction, the Safety Responsibility Law, habitual violators, limited driving permits, CDL major and serious violations, and what to do after a crash including the $500 reporting threshold, the Good Samaritan law, moving vehicles off the road and deer.