North Dakota driver's license
Get your first license in North Dakota after moving to the US.
How it goes
- 1You arriveYou have moved to North Dakota and you want to drive here.
- 2Your permitYou practice on the road with a learner permit.
- 3The written testYou take the written test.
- 4Behind the wheelYou take the drive test behind the wheel.
- Your licenseYou pass the tests, and the license is yours.
What it costs
A first license
$15 for the application, $5 for the written test ($10 if taken online), and $5 for the road test — $25 in total when both tests are taken in person. An electronic license costs $5 more.
$15 for a noncommercial permit or license.
You pay this when you apply.
Documents you need
- Documents that are still validA U.S. passport or passport card, a Permanent Resident Card, an Employment Authorization Card, and a foreign passport all count. The U.S. passport or passport card must be unexpired.
Your Social Security Number
Giving your number, and who may see it
The application asks for your Social Security number; you do not need one if you are a nonimmigrant who is not eligible for one, or if you give an affidavit that no number was assigned to you. Your license number will never be your Social Security number or an encoded version of it.
Tests you take
Drive test
Yes
Each license type requires its own demonstration of driving skill.
Tries you get on the written test
If you fail, you cannot retake the test the same day.
Practice questions for the written test
The state's own manual, the 2025-2027 Noncommercial Driver License Manual (Class D), is what you study for the written exam.
Using an interpreter
The state's nd.gov websites translate automatically through Google Translate.
Practising with your permit
Who can sit with you while you practise
A driver with a class A, B, C, or D license, at least 18 years old and with at least three years of driving experience, must sit beside you. Nobody else can sit in the front unless the vehicle has only a front seat.
Your supervising driver must be at least 18 years old, have at least three years of driving experience, and sit beside you.
What to bring to the drive test
Who comes with you
Only the supervising driver can sit in the front with a permit holder. If the car has only a front seat, the supervising driver must be the one seated next to you.
A driver with a valid license for the class of vehicle, who is at least 18 years old and has at least three years of driving experience, must ride in the seat beside you.
The car and its insurance
A car with a self-parking feature is not allowed on the road test. Turn the feature off or test in a different car.
You bring your own car, with current registration and proof of insurance. Its equipment is inspected and must be in good working order — brakes, lights, turn signals, horn, mirrors, seat belts, wipers, and a windshield without cracks that block your view.
A loaded vehicle cannot be used for the commercial road test.
Where to go
Who gives the tests
North Dakota Department of Transportation Driver License Division, approved commercial driver training school on the statutory waiver route
Booking an appointment
You can book an appointment at nqa3.nemoqappointment.com/Booking/Booking/Index/5KIDD4bc.
Appointments for driver license and ID business are booked at nqa3.nemoqappointment.com/Booking/Booking/Index/5KIDD4bc. Road tests are scheduled through a separate service.
You can schedule your driving test online at apps.nd.gov/dot/dlts/dlos/scheduleWelcome.htm.
You can book at nqa3.nemoqappointment.com/Booking/Booking/Index/5KIDD4bc.
Driving tests are booked through the state's online scheduling page.
Office locations
You can find every driver license site at dot.nd.gov/driver/driver-license-sites.
Other states
U
Every source, quoted23 sources
Every fact on this page is quoted from the page that publishes it, in the words it uses.
“The fee for: a. An application for a nondriver photo identification card is eight dollars. b. Written testing for an application for an operator's license is five dollars. c. Online written testing for an application for an operator's license is ten dollars. d. Actual ability testing for an application for an operator's license is five dollars. e. An application for an operator's license is fifteen dollars. f. An application for a motorized bicycle operator's permit is ten dollars. g. A substitute operator's license is eight dollars unless the substitute is for erroneous information due to a change in name or address, then the fee is three dollars. h. An operator's license renewal is fifteen dollars. i. Reinstatement after suspension is fifty dollars unless the suspension was the result of a suspension under subsection 3, 4, or 6 of section 39-06-03 or subsection 2 of section 39-06-32, then the fee is twenty-five dollars, or unless the suspension was a result of a violation under section 39-08-01 or chapter 39-20, then the fee is one hundred dollars.”
ndlegis.gov/cencode/t39c06.pdfChecked July 26, 2026
“Non-commercial permit or license: $15.00”
dot.nd.gov/driver/driver-education/driver-license-requirementsChecked August 4, 2026
“Valid, unexpired U.S. Passport or U.S Passport Card”
dot.nd.gov/driver/driver-education/driver-license-requirementsChecked August 1, 2026
“An applicant must state on the application the full name, date of birth, sex, social security number, unless the applicant is a nonimmigrant who is not eligible for a social security number or the applicant provides an affidavit stating the applicant was not assigned a social security number”
ndlegis.gov/cencode/t39c06.pdfChecked August 1, 2026
“The examination must include an actual demonstration of ability to exercise ordinary and reasonable control in the operation of a motor vehicle”
ndlegis.gov/cencode/t39c06.pdfChecked August 3, 2026
“Each type requires its own written examination and a demonstration of driving skill for that type of license.”
dot.nd.gov/driver/driver-license-classesChecked August 4, 2026
“If you fail any of the tests, you will not be allowed to retake the examination the same day.”
dot.nd.gov/sites/www/files/documents/Drivers%20-%20documents/noncommercial-manual.pdfChecked August 1, 2026
“The manual is designed as a basic reference for all drivers, and should be used to prepare for the written driver’s examination.”
“The State of North Dakota provides automatic translation for nd.gov websites, courtesy of Google Translate.”
dot.nd.gov/driver/driver-licenseChecked July 26, 2026
“The permittee must be accompanied by an individual with a class A, B, C, or D license in a vehicle allowed to be operated with a class D license, who is at least eighteen years of age, who has had at least three years of driving experience, and who is occupying a seat beside the driver.”
ndlegis.gov/cencode/t39c06.pdfChecked August 1, 2026
“The director may issue a class D instruction permit that entitles the applicant while having the permit in the permittee's immediate possession to drive a motor vehicle upon the public highways”
ndlegis.gov/cencode/t39c06.pdfChecked August 3, 2026
“An individual other than the supervising driver and the permit holder may not be in the front seat unless the vehicle has only a front seat, in which case, the supervising driver must be seated next to the permit holder.”
“a person with a valid license for the class of vehicle being driven, who is at least 18 years of age and has had at least three years of driving experience, must ride in the seat beside you.”
“Self-parking vehicles are not allowed. The applicant must test in a different vehicle or deactivate the self-parking feature.”
“License applicants must furnish their own vehicle for the road test. The vehicle equipment will be inspected. All equipment must be in good working order and display current registration.”
dot.nd.gov/sites/www/files/documents/Drivers%20-%20documents/noncommercial-manual.pdfChecked August 1, 2026
“No loaded vehicles.”
dot.nd.gov/driver/driver-licenseChecked July 26, 2026
“Unless otherwise provided in this chapter, the director shall examine every applicant for an operator's license.”
ndlegis.gov/cencode/t39c06.pdfChecked August 1, 2026
“appointment”
dot.nd.gov/driver/driver-education/driver-license-requirementsChecked August 4, 2026
“href="https://nqa3.nemoqappointment.com/Booking/Booking/Index/5KIDD4bc"”
dot.nd.gov/driver/driver-licenseChecked July 26, 2026
“https://apps.nd.gov/dot/dlts/dlos/scheduleWelcome.htm”
dot.nd.gov/driver/driver-licenseChecked July 26, 2026
“https://nqa3.nemoqappointment.com/Booking/Booking/Index/5KIDD4bc”
dot.nd.gov/driver/requirements-transferring-licenseChecked July 26, 2026
“Driving Tests”
dot.nd.gov/driver/driver-license-classesChecked August 4, 2026
“https://www.dot.nd.gov/driver/driver-license-sites”
dot.nd.gov/driver/driver-license-sitesChecked July 26, 2026
Applying for a driver's license in North Dakota?
Answer a few questions and see the steps that apply to you.