Pennsylvania driver's license
Get your first license in Pennsylvania after moving to the US.
How it goes
- 1You arriveYou have moved to Pennsylvania 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
$45.50 initial permit and four year license, $33.50 initial permit and two year license
You pay this when you apply.
If you just arrived in the US
If your license from another state has expired
If it has been expired six months or less, it still transfers: a vision screening and Form DL-180R, with no knowledge test. If it has been expired more than six months, it cannot be transferred — you must apply for a Pennsylvania Learner's Permit and pass all applicable knowledge and skills tests.
Your Social Security Number
Giving your number, and who may see it
PennDOT is required by law to collect your Social Security number, height and eye color, to help stop driver's license fraud. Your Social Security number is not part of your public driving record and is not printed on your permit or license.
Tests you take
Eye test
Every driver's license applicant must take a vision screening, as must anyone changing license class, adding an endorsement or removing a restriction. A valid license from another state does not excuse it.
The eye examination can be done by an optometrist, ophthalmologist or family physician, reported on Form DL-102.
The standard is combined vision of 20/40 or better, recorded both with and without correction. If an eye-care provider has not screened you, the screening is done at the Driver License Center instead.
Drive test
The on-road driving examination is required for every non-commercial license applicant. It must be taken in a vehicle representative of the class of license you are applying for.
Yes
Tries you get on the written test
If you fail, you can retake the test the following business day.
Practice questions for the written test
The English edition of the manual is Publication 95, marked 4-21 (April 2021).
The questions are taken from the latest edition of the Pennsylvania Driver's Manual. An older edition is the wrong one to study.
The Pennsylvania Driver's Manual covers the non-commercial Class C license — passenger vehicles, pick-up trucks and vans. Other classes of vehicle have their own separate publications.
PennDOT publishes an official PA Driver's License Practice Test App, on Google Play for Android and on the App Store for iOS.
The test covers signs, laws, driving rules and safe practices, all described in the Pennsylvania Driver's Manual.
The Pennsylvania Driver's Manual is at pa.gov/agencies/dmv/driver-services/pennsylvania-drivers-manual. A free sample knowledge test is at pa.gov/agencies/dmv/driver-services/pennsylvania-drivers-manual/test-your-knowledge — it is practice only and does not count toward the real test.
You can download the Pennsylvania Driver's Manual or listen to the audio version of it.
Using an interpreter
If you have trouble reading, or cannot read at all, you can ask for the Knowledge Test to be read aloud to you. Voice tests are offered on request at every Driver License Center.
An audio edition of the driver's manual is at pa.gov/agencies/dmv/driver-services/pennsylvania-drivers-manual/pa-drivers-manual-audio.
Practising with your permit
Who can sit with you while you practise
A driver who is at least 21 years old — or your spouse, parent, guardian, or a person acting as your parent, who is at least 18 — and who is licensed for the kind of vehicle you are driving. That person sits in the seat beside you (unless you are on a motorcycle) and must not be under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
What to bring to the drive test
Who comes with you
A licensed driver who is at least 21 years old — or a parent, guardian, person acting as a parent, or spouse who is at least 18 — must come with you to the Driver License Center. You show the examiner that person's valid driver's license along with your own permit; without it the test does not go ahead.
During the test itself the examiner is your only passenger. The driver who came with you stays out of the car.
While you practise on a learner's permit, a licensed driver who is at least 21 years old — or a parent, guardian, person acting as a parent, or spouse who is at least 18 — must ride in the front seat with you at all times.
The car and its insurance
You bring your own vehicle: it must match the class of license you are applying for, be properly registered, and display a current certificate of inspection. You must also show proof of insurance for it; it does not have to be registered in your name.
Where to go
Who gives the tests
A PennDOT driver license center gives the skills test, and so do PennDOT-certified third-party businesses, which charge their own fee. The test is the same either way.
Booking an appointment
You can book the road test at dmv.penndot.gov/exam_scheduling/eslogin.jsp. The page asks you to sign in.
You can book the road test online at dmv.penndot.gov/exam_scheduling/eslogin.jsp or by calling 717-412-5300.
Office locations
You can find a Driver License Center at pa.gov/agencies/dmv/find-a-location. The application form (DL-180) must be handed in in person.
Other states
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Every source, quoted27 sources
Every fact on this page is quoted from the page that publishes it, in the words it uses.
“INITIAL PERMITS AND LICENSES Initial Permit & 4-Year License............................................................................................................... $45.50 Initial Permit & 2-Year License (age 65+) .............................................................................................. $33.50”
“You will be required to surrender your out-of-state driver's license (valid or expired six months or less) before PennDOT can issue you a PA Driver's License. ... Although a knowledge test is not required for new residents with out-of-state driver's licenses which are valid or expired six months or less ... Out-of-state learner's permits cannot be transferred to Pennsylvania. In addition, if your out-of-state driver's license has been expired for more than six months, it cannot be transferred for a Pennsylvania Driver's License. You must apply for a Pennsylvania Learner's Permit (PDF) and complete all applicable knowledge and skills tests in order to obtain a Pennsylvania Driver's License.”
pa.gov/agencies/dmv/resources/relocation/moving-to-pennsylvaniaChecked August 14, 2026
“The Department is required by law to obtain your Social Security number, height and eye color under the provisions of Section 1510(a) and/or 1609(a)(4) of the Pennsylvania Vehicle Code. The information will be used as identifying information in an attempt to minimize driver's license fraud. Your Social Security number is not part of your public driver's record. Federal law permits the use of the Social Security number by state licensing officials for purposes of identification. Your Social Security number will not be printed on your learner's permit or driver's license.”
“An applicant for a drivers license, a person seeking to qualify to operate a vehicle of a different classification, add an endorsement or remove a restriction from a drivers license, and every driver whose vision the Department has reason to believe does not meet the visual standards in Chapter 83 (relating to physical and mental criteria, including vision standards relating to the licensing of drivers) shall submit to a vision screening examination.”
pacodeandbulletin.gov/Display/pacodeChecked July 27, 2026
“An applicant for a driver's license, a person seeking to qualify to operate a vehicle of a different classification, add an endorsement or remove a restriction from a driver's license, and every driver whose vision the Department has reason to believe does not meet the visual standards in Chapter 83 (relating to physical and mental criteria, including vision standards relating to the licensing of drivers) shall submit to a vision screening examination.”
pacodeandbulletin.gov/Display/pacodeChecked August 1, 2026
“VISION SCREENING ... Combined vision is 20/40 or better ... Report of Eye Examination (attached) ... Qualified Without Restrictions Qualified With Restrictions Corrective Lenses”
“In addition to the requirements in Subchapter A (relating to general provisions), an applicant for a noncommercial drivers license, except those exempted under 75 Pa.C.S. § 1502 (relating to persons exempt from licensing), and every driver the Department has reason to believe cannot exercise ordinary and reasonable control in operating a motor vehicle, shall submit to a driving examination. The examination shall be conducted in a vehicle representative of the type or class of motor vehicle that the applicant desires to be licensed to operate.”
pacodeandbulletin.gov/Display/pacodeChecked July 27, 2026
“You will need to take and pass the Vision, Knowledge and Road tests to get your driver's license.”
pa.gov/services/dmv/get-a-learners-permitChecked August 1, 2026
“If you fail the Knowledge Test, you will be permitted to retake the test the following business day.”
“PUB 95 (4-21) English Version”
“Questions will be taken from the most recent edition of the Pennsylvania Drivers Manual or related publications for specific classes of vehicles, or both.”
pacodeandbulletin.gov/Display/pacodeChecked July 27, 2026
“This manual is designed to provide the information you need to get a non-commercial Class C driver's license, which is the class that covers these types of vehicles.”
“Download for your Android™ directly from Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nicus a.pdt PA Driver's License Practice Test App Download for your iOS Device™ directly from the App Store: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pa-drivers-licensepractice/id925842053?mt=8”
“You will then take the Knowledge Test ... on signs, laws, driving rules and safe practices described later in this manual.”
“Pennsylvania Driver's Manual -> https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dmv/driver-services/pennsylvania-drivers-manual ... Take a Sample Knowledge Test -> https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dmv/driver-services/pennsylvania-drivers-manual/test-your-knowledge”
pa.gov/services/dmv/get-a-learners-permitChecked July 26, 2026
“You can download a copy of the Pennsylvania Driver's Manual on our website. You can also listen to the audio version of the manual.”
pa.gov/services/dmv/get-a-driver-licenseChecked July 26, 2026
“Some people who take the Knowledge Test may have trouble reading or in some cases, may not be able to read and would feel more comfortable if the test were read to them. Upon request, voice tests are offered at all Driver License Centers across the commonwealth.”
“audio version -> https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dmv/driver-services/pennsylvania-drivers-manual/pa-drivers-manual-audio”
pa.gov/services/dmv/get-a-driver-licenseChecked July 26, 2026
“A learner's permit entitles the person to whom it was issued to drive vehicles and combinations of vehicles of the class or classes specified, but only while the holder of the learner's permit is accompanied by and under the immediate supervision of a person who: (1) is at least 21 years of age or, if the spouse of the learner's permit holder, is at least 18 years of age; or, if a parent, guardian or person in loco parentis of the learner's permit holder, is at least 18 years of age; (2) is licensed to drive vehicles of the class then being driven by the holder of the learner's permit; (3) is actually occupying a seat beside the holder of the learner's permit unless the vehicle is a motorcycle; and (4) is not manifestly under the influence of alcohol or drugs to the degree that the person may endanger themselves or others.”
“The valid driver's license of the person, who is at least 21 years of age or a parent, guardian, person in loco parentis, or spouse who is 18 years of age or older, accompanying you to the Driver License Center.”
“The examiner will be your only passenger during the Road Test.”
“REMEMBER: A licensed driver who is at least 21 years of age or a parent, guardian, person in loco parentis, or spouse who is 18 years of age or older and holds a driver's license must ride with you in the front seat of your vehicle at all times.”
“As a requirement to take the on-road driving examination, the applicant shall appear at the examination site with a vehicle representative of the type of motor vehicle that the applicant desires to operate. The vehicle shall be properly registered and shall display a current certificate of inspection. The applicant shall also present proof of insurance for the vehicle in which the examination is to be conducted.”
pacodeandbulletin.gov/Display/pacodeChecked July 27, 2026
“Additionally, PennDOT has certified third-party businesses to administer the skills test for a market-driven fee. All third-party examiners are PennDOT-certified and the test is identical to the test that you would take at a PennDOT driver license center.”
“Schedule a Driver Road Test -> https://www.dmv.penndot.gov/exam_scheduling/eslogin.jsp?navigation=true”
pa.gov/services/dmv/get-a-learners-permitChecked July 26, 2026
“You can schedule a road test online or by calling 717-412-5300.”
pa.gov/services/dmv/get-a-driver-licenseChecked August 1, 2026
“Find a Driver License Center -> https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dmv/find-a-location”
pa.gov/services/dmv/get-a-learners-permitChecked July 26, 2026
Applying for a driver's license in Pennsylvania?
Answer a few questions and see the steps that apply to you.