Maine driver license guide

Minimum age for a learner's permit

15.Source: maine.gov · checked Nov 15, 2026

Permit application / written test fee

$35 for the Class C permit examination (written test).Source: maine.gov · checked Nov 15, 2026

License fee

Class C license under 65: $30 for 6 years ($55 for REAL ID). Age 65 or older: $20 for 4 years ($40 for REAL ID).Source: maine.gov · checked Nov 15, 2026

Parent or guardian

Applicants under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian to sign the application and receive the license.Source: maine.gov · checked Nov 15, 2026

Driver education

Required for applicants under 18 (the completion certificate goes with the permit application). Not required at 18 or older.Source: maine.gov · checked Nov 15, 2026

Permit validity

2 years and not renewable; after it expires you reapply and retake the vision screening and written exam. Logged hours carry over.Source: maine.gov · checked Nov 15, 2026

Permit restrictions

Must drive with a licensed driver over age 20 who has held a license for at least two years; no mobile phone use while driving on a permit.Source: maine.gov · checked Nov 15, 2026

How long to hold the permit

Applicants under 21 must hold the permit 6 months before applying for a road test; 21 and older do not have to wait.Source: maine.gov · checked Nov 15, 2026

Written test questions

30 questions on rules of the road, signs, pedestrian and bicycle safety, OUI laws and distracted driving.Source: maine.gov · checked Nov 15, 2026

Passing score

At least 24 of 30 correct (80%).Source: maine.gov · checked Nov 15, 2026

Written test languages

The digital test is offered in Arabic, Canadian French, English, French, Lingala, Portuguese, Somali, Spanish and Swahili; since Feb. 1, 2026 BMV provides a free interpreter for other languages (scheduling may take 4+ weeks).Source: maine.gov · checked Nov 15, 2026

How the written test is scheduled

You submit the permit application (in person or by mail); BMV then mails an appointment notice for the written test, usually within three weeks. Rescheduling is free up to 48 hours before.Source: maine.gov · checked Nov 15, 2026

Vision screening

Required for all applicants; it is free at the written exam, or your own eye doctor can complete the eye examination form. It checks visual acuity and peripheral vision.Source: maine.gov · checked Nov 15, 2026

Documents for a permit

Learner's permit application, $35 fee, two forms of ID (one with date of birth, one with signature), proof of Maine residency, driver ed certificate (under 18) and birth certificate (under 23). Originals must be shown at the exam.Source: maine.gov · checked Nov 15, 2026

Supervised practice

Permit holders under 21 must log 70 hours of driving, including 10 after dark; the hours must start after the permit is issued.Source: maine.gov · checked Nov 15, 2026

Minimum age for a license

16, with an approved driver education course, 70 logged hours, 6 months on the permit and a passed road test.Source: maine.gov · checked Nov 15, 2026

Intermediate license (under 18)

For 270 days: no passengers other than immediate family unless with a qualifying licensed operator, no driving midnight to 5 a.m., and no mobile phone use. The license is provisional for 2 years.Source: maine.gov · checked Nov 15, 2026

Booking the road test

Mail the road test request card from the back of your permit (under 21: a completed driving log) to BMV in Augusta; you are scheduled at the nearest site. The test includes parallel parking and straight-line backing.Source: maine.gov · checked Nov 15, 2026

After failing the road test

The examiner explains what to practice and gives you a receipt to mail in to request your next test. No minimum wait is stated.Source: maine.gov · checked Nov 15, 2026

Appointments

Not required for renewals, including REAL ID; all 13 branches accept walk-ins, and appointments can be booked online.Source: maine.gov · checked Nov 15, 2026

How long a license lasts

6 years under age 65; 4 years at 65 or older.Source: maine.gov · checked Nov 15, 2026

When you can renew

As early as six months before expiration, up to the expiration day.Source: maine.gov · checked Nov 15, 2026

Online renewal

Maine residents with an active non-commercial license can renew or replace online with a credit card. REAL ID holders can renew online if they are U.S. citizens, need no vision screening and change no data.Source: apps1.web.maine.gov · checked Nov 15, 2026

Vision screening at renewal

Required at ages 40-45, 52-57 and 62 and older; drivers who need it cannot renew online, even with a doctor's form on file.Source: maine.gov · checked Nov 15, 2026

Renewal fee

Same as the license fee: $30 (6 years, under 65) or $20 (4 years, 65+); REAL ID $55 / $40.Source: maine.gov · checked Nov 15, 2026

REAL ID

Optional. From May 7, 2025 a REAL ID (gold star) or another TSA-accepted ID such as a passport is needed for domestic flights and secure federal facilities. The first REAL ID must be applied for in person.Source: maine.gov · checked Nov 15, 2026

REAL ID fee

$55 under 65 or $40 at 65+ (non-commercial license); ID card $30; any REAL ID duplicate $30.Source: maine.gov · checked Nov 15, 2026

REAL ID documents

One document proving identity, date of birth and lawful status; your Social Security number; and two proofs of Maine residence (no P.O. boxes). Originals or agency-certified copies only.Source: maine.gov · checked Nov 15, 2026

How to spot a REAL ID

A gold star on the front of the card; non-compliant cards say they are not intended for federal purposes.Source: maine.gov · checked Nov 15, 2026

Deadline for new residents

Get a Maine license within 30 days of becoming a resident.Source: maine.gov · checked Nov 15, 2026

Tests for new residents

With a valid (or expired within 5 years) license from a U.S. state or Canadian province, you take a vision screening and may not need the written and road tests.Source: maine.gov · checked Nov 15, 2026

Conversion fee

Converting a Class C license costs the $35 application fee plus the $30 license fee.Source: maine.gov · checked Nov 15, 2026

Duplicate license fee

$5 for a non-compliant license/ID; $30 for a REAL ID license/ID.Source: maine.gov · checked Nov 15, 2026

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