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Maine driver's license

Get your first license in Maine after moving to the US.

How it goes

  1. 1
    You arriveYou have moved to Maine and you want to drive here.
  2. 2
    Your permitYou practice on the road with a learner permit.
  3. 3
    The written testYou take the written test.
  4. 4
    Behind the wheelYou take the drive test behind the wheel.
  5. Your licenseYou pass the tests, and the license is yours.

What it costs

A first license

$55

  • $35 for a basic Class C license, the class for passenger cars and light trucks.

You pay this when you apply.

If you just arrived in the US

Foreign documents with no expiry date

Accepted. Maine's rule is that documents must be legible, valid, and either unexpired or of a type that has no expiration date.

If you have no license to transfer

If you have not been licensed in Maine or another jurisdiction within the past 5 years, you take the complete examination: a vision test, a written test and a road test.

Documents you need

  • Documents that are still validFor a United States citizen, a US passport that has been expired for less than 2 years still counts as proof of legal presence.
    • Every document you show must be legible and unexpired, unless it is a type that has no expiration date.

Your Social Security Number

Giving your number, and who may see it

Maine does not issue a license or ID to a person who does not possess and provide a valid Social Security number.

  • If you are eligible for a Social Security number, you must provide it.

  • The Secretary of State collects, stores and verifies your Social Security number and can use it to set your permanent license number; the number is not displayed on the license itself. A person who is legally ineligible for a Social Security number is exempt.

Tests you take

Eye test

Required for all applicants; you can take it at no fee when you appear for your written exam, or have a doctor of your choice do it at your expense on the BMV eye examination form. Give the completed form to the examiner at your driver's examination.

Drive test

Required — you must show your ability to operate a motor vehicle by actually demonstrating it.

Tries you get on the written test

Maine publishes no limit on the number of attempts and no waiting period between them; the practical limit is your learner's permit, which is valid for two years. A reexamination costs $35, and you request your next test by mail using the receipt the examiner gives you.

Practice questions for the written test

The Motorist Handbook and Study Guide is the official study material for the Class C license.

Practising with your permit

Who can sit with you while you practise

The person supervising you commits a Class E crime if they are impaired by alcohol or drugs while you drive on a public way.

  • A licensed driver who is at least 20 years old and has held a valid license for at least 2 years, sitting in the seat beside you.

  • The same rule applies while you drive on a course completion certificate used as a temporary permit: a licensed driver at least 20 years old, licensed for at least 2 years and for your class of vehicle, must sit beside you. Carry the certificate whenever you drive.

  • The driver beside you must have held a valid license for at least 2 years, be at least 20 years old, and be licensed for the class of vehicle you are driving. They must also follow every restriction on their own license while supervising you.

  • Carry your learner's permit with you whenever you drive. The licensed driver beside you must be at least 20 years old, have held a valid license for at least 2 years, and be licensed for the class of vehicle you are driving.

What to bring to the drive test

Who comes with you

A licensed driver must come with you to the road test; the one requirement on that person is possession of a valid driver's license. The handbook sets no minimum age or years of driving for them, and does not say whether an out-of-state or foreign license counts.

  • The driver who rides with a permit holder must be at least 20 years old, have held a valid license for 2 years, and be licensed for the class of vehicle being driven. A learner's permit itself is valid for 2 years.

  • No pets are allowed in the car during the road test.

  • During the road test itself, only you and the examiner are allowed in the car — the licensed driver who came with you waits outside. Any other passenger, including an interpreter or a parent, needs the Secretary of State's authorization.

The car and its insurance

You bring your own car, properly registered and inspected, and you bring the registration with you. A car that does not meet Maine's inspection criteria can be refused.

  • You supply the car for the road test yourself.

  • If the car you bring is not the class you applied for, you choose between rescheduling and taking the test in that car anyway. If you take it and pass, your license is endorsed for the class of the car you actually used, not the class you applied for.

  • The car must be properly equipped, safe, and of the class you applied for. If the examiner finds it improperly equipped or unsafe, the test is refused and rescheduled to a later date — not failed.

  • A car with an antique automobile registration cannot be used for the road test.

Where to go

Who gives the tests

A driver's license examiner from the Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles assesses your ability to keep control of your vehicle at all times. The road test is not given until you have passed all the other tests and met the permit requirements.

Booking an appointment

You can book a branch appointment at mainebmvappt.cxmflow.com to skip the line.

Office locations

BMV branch locations are listed at maine.gov/sos/bmv/visit-your-bmv-branch/find-your-local-branch.

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Every source, quoted29 sources

Every fact on this page is quoted from the page that publishes it, in the words it uses.

Applying for a driver's license in Maine?

Answer a few questions and see the steps that apply to you.

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