Can the test form I receive from the Missouri State
Highway Patrol examiner be used as an instruction
permit?
No, you must submit the exam form to the license
office to apply for a temporary instruction permit.
Your six month permit period will be calculated
from the issue date of the temporary instruction
permit, not the exam form.
If I am 16 and driving on an instruction permit,
may I drive with my 17-year-old friend who has
an intermediate license?
No. If you are driving on an instruction permit at
age 16, the person beside you when you are driving
must be at least 21 years old and have a valid
driver license. If the adult driver has restrictions on
his/her driving, then those restrictions must be
followed when accompanying the teen driver.
Will the time that I drive with a qualified driver
training instructor count towards the 40 hour
behind-the-wheel requirement for an intermediate
license?
Yes. When you apply for your intermediate license,
a qualified person or grandparent must accompany
you to the contract office and sign your application,
stating that you have completed 40 hours of
behind-the-wheel driver training while operating
on an instruction permit. This 40 hours may also
include any time that you have operated a vehicle
with a qualified driver training instructor.
If I have an intermediate license, may I drive
around town with my friends without an adult in
the vehicle?
For the first six months, you cannot drive with more
than one passenger who is under the age of
nineteen who is not a member of your immediate
family. After the first six months, you cannot
operate a motor vehicle with more than three
passengers who are under 19 years old and who
are not members of your immediate family.
Everyone in the vehicle must wear seat belts and
obey the curfew (1:00 a.m.–5:00 a.m.). Please
refer to the chart on the reverse side of this
brochure for more information about the curfew.
If I am under age 18 and I have a full license from
another state when I move to Missouri, what type
of license will I get?
If you are eligible to receive a Missouri driver
license, an intermediate license will be issued.
However, if you apply within the 30 days imme-
diately preceding your 18th birthday, a full driver
license may be obtained.
Who must accompany me to the contract office
to get my instruction permit and intermediate
license?
In order for you to obtain the instruction permit, a
qualified person must accompany you to the
contract office and sign your application stating that
he or she will provide you with at least 40 hours of
behind-the-wheel driver training.
In order for you to obtain the intermediate license,
a qualified person or grandparent must accompany
you to the contract office and sign your application
stating that you have received 40 hours of behind-
the-wheel driver training.
If my intermediate license expires on the weekend
or holiday, can I still drive?
If your intermediate license expires on a Saturday,
Sunday, or legal holiday, you may continue to drive
for a period of five business days. This will allow
you to legally drive to your local contract office to
renew your license.
Is it illegal to drive while sending, reading or
writing a text message?
Yes, if you are 21 years of age or younger it is
illegal for you to drive while sending, reading or
writing a text or electronic message by means of
a hand-held electronic wireless communication
device. 2 points will be assessed on the driving
record for each conviction. (Refer to Section
304.820)
Questions & Answers
Missouri Department of Revenue
For additional information, please call
(573) 751-2407
or visit our web site at
www.dor.mo.gov
MISSOURI’S
GRADUATED
DRIVER
LICENSE LAW
Q & A
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Form 4821 (Revised 01-2015)
What is the Graduated Driver
License (GDL) law?
Missouri’s Graduated Driver License law requires that all
first-time drivers between 15 and 18 years old complete a
period of driving with a licensed driver (instruction permit)
and restricted driving (intermediate license) before getting a
full driver license.
P
If the permit holder is under age 16, the accompanying
licensed driver must be a qualified person, grandpar-
ent, qualified driving instructor, a person who is at least
25 years of age who has been licensed for a minimum
of 3 years and has received written permission from
the parent or legal guardian, or in case of disability of
the parent, grandparent, or guardian, their designee.
P
At age 16 the driver may apply for an intermediate
license. The intermediate license allows the driver
to drive alone except during a late night curfew (1:00
a.m. to 5:00 a.m.). The driver and passengers must
use seat belts, be free of alcohol and
drugs, and obey the traffic laws.
P
At age 18, or within the 30 days
immediately preceding his/her 18th
birthday, the intermediate license
holder may apply for a full driver
license.
Definitions:
Immediate family shall include
parents, grandparents, brothers,
sisters, stepbrothers, stepsisters, and adopted or foster
children residing in the driver’s household. Parent shall
include a foster parent, stepparent or adoptive parent.
Grandparent shall include a foster grandparent, step-
grandparent or adoptive grandparent.
Qualified driving instructor is defined as an instructor
who has a valid driver education endorsement on a
teaching certificate issued by the Department of Elementary
and Secondary Education, or a driver training instructor
employed by a private driver education program.
Qualified person is a parent, legal guardian or certified
trainer with a federal residential job training program.
To Obtain:
• You must hold the instruction permit
for at least 182 days (beginning the
day after issuance).
• You may not have any alcohol-related
convictions in the last 12 months and
no traffic convictions in the last 6
months.
• A qualified person or grandparent
must accompany you to the contract
office to verify you have received 40
hours of driving instruction.
• You must pass the vision, road sign,
and written tests if previous results
are more than one year old.
• You must pass the driving test.
License Notes:
• Your test paper alone is not legal
for driving. Be sure to carry your
intermediate license with you.
• Seat belts must be worn by the driver
and all passengers.
• Passenger restrictions outlined
below may not be applicable to an
intermediate license holder who is
operating in agricultural work-related
activities.
Driving Restrictions:
• During the first 6 months, you may
not operate a motor vehicle with more
than one passenger who is under 19
years old and who is not a member of
your immediate family.
• After the first 6 months, you may not
operate a motor vehicle with more
than three passengers who are
under 19 years old and who are not
members of your immediate family.
• You may not drive alone between
1:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. except to and
from a school activity, job, or for an
emergency, unless accompanied by a
licensed driver 21 years old or older.
To Graduate to an Under-21
Driver License:
• Your driving privilege cannot be
suspended, revoked, or denied at
the time of application.
• You may not have any alcohol-related
offenses or traffic convictions within
the last 12 months.
To Graduate to an Intermediate License:
• You must have an instruction permit
for a minimum of 182 days (beginning
the day after issuance).
• You may not have any alcohol-related
convictions in the last 12 months and
no traffic convictions in the last 6
months.
• You must have received 40 hours of
driving instruction with a qualified
person, grandparent, or qualified
driving instructor. The driving
instruction must include a minimum
of 10 hours of behind-the-wheel
nightime driving.
STEP ONE: Instruction Permit
Eligible Age: 15 Cost: $3.50 Valid for 12 Months
STEP THREE: Under-21 Full Driver License
Eligible Age: 18 Cost: $10.00 Valid for 3 Years
• You must have no alcohol-related
offenses or traffic convictions in the
last 12 months.
• Your driving privilege may not be
suspended, revoked, or denied in any
state.
• You must pass the road sign recognition
tests and vision examination.
To Obtain:
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• You must submit:
Successful Missouri written and driving test results, no more than 1 year
old; or
A valid instruction permit (or one that expired no more than 6 months ago)
from another U.S. State and successful Missouri skills test results; or
A valid Missouri instruction permit (or one that expired no more than 6
months ago) with successful Missouri skills test results; or
A valid driver license (or one that expired no more than 6 months ago)
from another U.S. state.
To Obtain:
• You must pass the vision, road sign,
and written tests.
• You must present the test form to a
local license office to apply for the
temporary instruction permit. The six-
month permit term begins with
issuance of the instruction permit, not
the the test form.Your test form from
the Missouri State Highway Patrol is
not legal for driving.
• A qualified person must accompany
you to the contract office to sign a
permission statement.
Permit Notes:
• Under age 16, you may drive only
when accompanied in the front seat
by a qualified person, grandparent,
qualified driving instructor or a person
who is at least 25 years of age who
has been licensed for a minimum of 3
years and has received written
permission from the parent or legal
guardian.
• At age 16 or older, you may drive
when accompanied in the front seat
by a person who is at least 21 years
old and has a valid driver license.
• Seat belts must be worn by the driver
and all passengers.
• Your test paper alone is not legal for
driving. Be sure to carry your permit
with you.
STEP TWO: Intermediate License
Eligible Age: 16 to 18 Cost: $7.50 Valid for 2 Years
