SettleKit LogoSettleKit
Get started

Massachusetts driver's license

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

How it goes

  1. 1
    You arriveYou have moved to Massachusetts 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

$50

You pay this when you apply.

If you just arrived in the US

Foreign documents with no expiry date

Massachusetts does not judge your foreign license by the date on the card: it converts licenses only from Canada, Mexico, the U.S. Territories, the Republic of Korea, Germany, France and Taiwan, and asks instead for a recent official driving record from the authority that issued your license — no more than 30 days old for Canada, Mexico or a U.S. Territory, no more than 60 days for Korea, and for Germany no more than 30 days plus a translation stamped by the German Consulate that is also no more than 30 days old. If your country is not on that list you cannot convert at all: you apply as a new driver and take the learner's permit exam and the road test.

If your license from another state has expired

If it expired less than 12 months ago you do not retake the written or road test; expired more than 12 months, you take a full written and road test plus an eye test. If you cannot turn in the license itself, bring acceptable photo ID and a certified copy of your driving record no more than 30 days old, translated if it is not in English.

Documents you need

  • Documents that are still validEvery document you submit under Option B must be valid and unexpired.

Tests you take

Eye test

Every applicant for a license or permit takes a vision screening, done in the manner the Registrar decides.

  • You need at least 20/40 distant vision in either eye (with or without corrective lenses), a combined horizontal field of vision of at least 120 degrees, the ability to tell red, green and amber apart, and no unresolvable double vision. A completed vision screening certificate from an optometrist or ophthalmologist can stand in for the computerized screening — for mono-vision, or when the RMV screening failed, was declined, or was unavailable.

  • Your vision is tested to confirm you can drive safely.

Drive test

You must take and pass a Class D road test to get your driver's license; a Class D learner's permit is also required.

  • During a Class D road test you are asked to demonstrate your driving abilities to the examiner.

  • You earn driving privileges by passing a learner's permit exam and a road test.

  • Yes

Tries you get on the written test

If you fail, you can make another appointment to retake the permit exam at an RMV Service Center.

  • If you failed the exam, you can make another appointment to take it again at an RMV Service Center.

Practice questions for the written test

The exam asks about driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and about sending or receiving electronic messages behind the wheel.

  • Study the Class D driver's manual to prepare for the exam; you can find it at mass.gov/lists/drivers-manuals.

  • The exam covers rules of the road, the consequences of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, the Junior Operator Law, sharing the road with the visually impaired, and sharing the road with bicyclists and pedestrians.

  • The exam has 25 multiple-choice questions on alcohol misuse, suspensions, Junior Operator Law violations, rules of the road and identifying road signs; you pass by answering 18 correctly within 25 minutes. It is available in multiple languages, and you cannot use the manual or electronic devices during it.

Using an interpreter

The RMV's documents are available in multiple languages.

Practising with your permit

Who can sit with you while you practise

A driver who is licensed in their state of residence, is at least 21 years old, and has at least one year of driving experience must sit in the seat beside you.

  • The person beside you must be licensed in their state of residence, be 21 or over, and have at least one year of driving experience. Keep the permit with you while you drive.

  • You must practice with a qualified licensed driver and carry your permit with you while driving.

What to bring to the drive test

Who comes with you

Your sponsor must be at least 21 years old, have at least one year of driving experience, and hold a valid license from a U.S. state or territory. A foreign license is not accepted.

  • A sponsor is required for a Class D road test but not for a Class M road test.

  • A qualified sponsor must come with you for the road test. No sponsor is needed for a motorcycle road test.

The car and its insurance

The examiner must have clear access to a working parking brake — a car whose center console has no parking brake cannot be used, and neither can one on a donut spare tire or a repair plate. For a rental car, bring the rental agreement plus a letterheaded authorization from the rental company naming you and your sponsor.

  • Your vehicle is inspected before the test; this includes vehicles with an ignition interlock device and vehicles with adaptive equipment for a competency test.

  • The car must be in good working condition, pass a safety check, and have valid registration and a current inspection sticker. It needs a seat next to the driver for the examiner and a rear seat behind the driver for the sponsor.

  • The examiner must be able to make an emergency stop using the parking brake, with nothing blocking access to it. A car that fails this — including one whose center console has no parking brake — cannot be used, and you are not charged for the road test.

  • You must bring a vehicle that meets the RMV's requirements for a Class D road test, or a motorcycle for a Class M road test.

  • If the car is registered out of state, you must show the examiner a policy or certificate proving insurance of at least $25,000/$50,000 for bodily injury and $30,000 for property damage.

  • The test must be taken in a vehicle representative of the type you drive or expect to drive.

  • The car must let the examiner make an emergency stop using the parking brake; a car that does not cannot be used.

  • The car must be in good working condition, pass a safety check, have valid registration and a current inspection sticker, and have a seat next to the driver for the examiner.

Where to go

Who gives the tests

An RMV road test examiner gives the Medical Affairs competency road exam, which checks that a driver is medically qualified or can safely use adaptive equipment.

  • A Registry employee, an agent designated by the Registrar, or a third party the Registrar has authorized can give the knowledge and driving tests.

Booking an appointment

You can book an appointment and pay fees at mass.gov/myrmv.

Office locations

You can find RMV offices at mass.gov/orgs/massachusetts-registry-of-motor-vehicles/locations. An appointment made online is required for in-person permit, license, or ID transactions.

Other states

A

C

D

F

G

H

I

K

L

M

N

O

P

R

S

T

U

V

W

Every source, quoted37 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 Massachusetts?

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

Build my steps