Alaska driver license and ID card: first license, renewal, replacement and REAL ID

How to get a first Alaska driver license or teen permit, transfer an out-of-state license, renew or replace your card, and what a REAL ID or state ID card requires, based on the Alaska DMV's own pages.

Guide · Alaska · REAL ID · Driver licenses · Renewals · ID cards · updated October 29, 2026

Alaska driver licenses, permits and state ID cards are issued by the Alaska Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV). This guide covers the common cases in order: getting your first license (including the teen permit and provisional license), moving to Alaska with a license from somewhere else, renewing, replacing a lost card, and choosing between a REAL ID and a standard card. For booking an office visit and the general document list, see the Alaska DMV visit guide.

Your first Alaska license

If you are 18 or older, you apply for a first license in person at a DMV office. You will need:

• Form D1, the application. You can fill it out and print it in advance.
• Identity, residence and Social Security documents. The categories are listed in the visit guide.
• A passed written knowledge test. The DMV offers a practice test and the test itself online.
• A passed road test. These are booked in advance (see below).

The DMV's fee table lists a non-commercial driver or motorcycle license at $20 for a standard card and $40 for a REAL ID.

Teens: instruction permit and provisional license

• Instruction permit (from age 14). You apply at a DMV office. The steps are to pass the knowledge test, bring a completed Form D1 and parental consent (Form 433, or Form 433M for a motorcycle), prove the relationship to your parent or guardian, pass a vision test and pay $15. While practicing, you must be accompanied by a licensed driver who is at least 21, has at least one year of experience in that type of vehicle and sits in the passenger seat. The permit is valid for two years and can be renewed once.
• Provisional license (ages 16 and 17). You must have held a permit for at least six months and have no traffic conviction, suspension or revocation in the previous six months. You must also pass a road test and bring Form D1, parental consent and relationship documents.

Provisional drivers may not carry passengers under 21 other than siblings, and may not drive between 1:00 and 5:00 a.m. The DMV lists two exceptions: being accompanied by a licensed driver aged 21 or older, or driving to or from work (or as part of your job) by the most direct route. The DMV says violating the restrictions carries a $200 penalty and 2 points on your record.

The road test

Road tests are scheduled online for state offices. The DMV says the non-commercial road test fee is $15. Fees are non-refundable, but you can reschedule for free up to 24 hours before your appointment.

Bring a vehicle in working order. You also need current insurance (on paper or on a device) and the printed vehicle registration. Bring your permit too, or, if you are over 18, your knowledge test scores. The DMV has also authorized third parties to give road tests (it links to a list of driving schools); they are independent businesses that set their own fees.

Moving to Alaska with another state's license

According to the DMV, new residents must transfer an out-of-state license within 90 days, or within 30 days for a commercial license. Visitors with a valid license may drive for up to 90 days. Active-duty military members and their spouses have a special exemption.

To transfer, you pass a written test on Alaska driving rules and a vision test, and you bring your identity and residence documents. You can attempt the written test only once per day. You do not need a road test if you hold, or held within the last five years, a license from a U.S. state, a U.S. territory, Canada or South Korea. You prove this by surrendering the old card or bringing a certified driving record. A motorcycle license also transfers, but you must pass the Alaska motorcycle knowledge test.

Renewing your license

The DMV encourages you to start your renewal when your license expires within the next year. It offers online renewal. You can renew by mail if all of these are true:

• You are over 22.
• Your personal information has not changed.
• You did not renew by mail last time.

The fee table lists a renewal at $20 (standard) or $40 (REAL ID), plus $1 if you renew by mail.

Turning 21: if you are turning 21, your license expires 90 days after your birthday. You renew after that birthday and take an alcohol awareness test, at a local office or online if you are out of state.

If you are out of state and cannot renew online, you can apply online for a temporary extension letter. It is available for non-commercial licenses only, and not for licenses expired more than a year.

Replacing a lost license

You can apply for a replacement license online. If you are out of state, the DMV says it will email you a temporary license, processed within 1 to 2 business days. The fee table lists a duplicate at $15 (standard) or $35 (REAL ID).

REAL ID or standard card

The DMV says a REAL ID is optional for Alaskans with a non-commercial license. Commercial license holders must upgrade to a compliant card when their CDL expires. Without a REAL ID, you need another federally accepted ID, such as a passport, to board domestic flights or enter certain federal facilities.

To get a REAL ID, apply in person. This applies to current Alaska card holders too, and you must bring documents even if you gave them to the DMV before:

• Proof of U.S. citizenship, permanent residency or other lawful status
• Proof of any name change
• Two documents showing your Alaska residence
• Your Social Security number, or a letter from the Social Security Administration showing you are not eligible for one

The DMV's printable REAL ID checklist lists accepted documents. A REAL ID costs the regular card fee plus $20. Compliant cards carry a star in the top right corner. Standard cards have no star and say "Federal limits apply." You can hold an Alaska driver license and an Alaska ID card at the same time, but only one of them can be a REAL ID.

To check a card you already have, see How can I tell if my driver's license is REAL ID compliant? and REAL ID explained.

State ID cards

Anyone living in Alaska, including children, can get a state ID card, and no parental consent form is needed. You complete Form D1 and bring the same kinds of documents as for a license.

The DMV lists ID cards at $15 (standard) or $35 (REAL ID). If you are 60 or older, a standard ID is free and a REAL ID costs $20. A card is valid for up to 8 years. It expires on your birthday, or 90 days after your 21st birthday if that comes first.

You can renew up to a year before the card expires. You can renew online if you renewed in an office last time, from one year before to one year after expiration. If you renewed online last time, you renew at an office. Lost ID cards can be replaced online.

For vehicle paperwork, see the Alaska vehicle registration and title guide, and for nearby offices the Alaska DMV office list.