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

How to get a first Indiana driver's license or learner's 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 Indiana BMV's own pages.

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

Indiana driver's licenses, learner's permits and state ID cards are issued by the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV). This guide covers first licenses (including the teen permit and probationary license), moving to Indiana, renewals, replacements, Real ID and ID cards. For booking a branch visit and the general document list, see the Indiana BMV visit guide.

Your first Indiana license

Learner's permit

You can get a learner's permit:

  • From age 15, if you are enrolled in an approved behind-the-wheel driver education course and show a Certificate of Driver Education from the provider.
  • From age 16 without driver education.

Either way, you present your identification documents, pass a vision screening and pass the knowledge exam. The BMV's fee chart lists a learner's permit at $9. An applicant under 18 needs an adult, normally a parent or guardian, to sign an agreement of financial liability in person at the branch.

The knowledge exam has two multiple-choice sections, on traffic rules and road signs, and you need 80% or higher on each. A passed result is valid for 180 days. If you fail, you can retry the next business day.

While practicing, a driver under 18 may drive with a licensed instructor, or with a licensed driver aged 25 or older who is related to them by blood, marriage or legal status. A licensed spouse aged 21 or older also qualifies. You must log at least 50 hours of supervised practice, including 10 at night, on the Log of Supervised Driving.

Probationary license (under 21)

Any license issued before age 21 is probationary. To get one, you must have held your permit for 180 days and be:

  • at least 16, if you completed an approved driver education program, or
  • at least 16 years and 270 days old without driver education.

At the branch you show the signed driving log and your driver education certificate, if you have one. You also pass a vision screening and a driving test, unless your driver education provider gives the test. Driving tests at a branch are booked in advance. Your test vehicle must be insured and registered, and you need a licensed driver to come with you.

The BMV lists these restrictions:

  • No phone or other telecommunication device while driving, except to call 911.
  • No driving between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. for the first 180 days.
  • After that and until 18, no driving after 11 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday, or before 5 a.m. Monday to Friday. Travel to work, school activities or religious events is exempt.
  • No passengers for the first 180 days, unless a licensed instructor, a licensed driver aged 25 or older, or a spouse aged 21 or older sits in the front seat. Your child, stepchild, sibling, step or half sibling or spouse can ride with you during the hours allowed by law without that extra person.

A probationary license expires 30 days after your 21st birthday, and you cannot renew it before that birthday.

Moving to Indiana with another state's license

The BMV says new residents with a valid license from another state have 60 days to get an Indiana license. You must surrender every license, permit or ID card from other states. If you are 18 or older, you visit a branch and:

  • Present your current out-of-state license, a copy of your official driving record, or a verification letter
  • Present documents proving your identity, lawful status, Social Security number and Indiana residency
  • Pass a vision screening

The BMV says that since July 1, 2019, drivers moving from another state with a valid license no longer need a knowledge exam. If your old license has expired, you take the knowledge exam. If it expired more than five years ago, or you held it for less than one year, you also take a driving test. Different rules apply if you are under 18. You receive a temporary license valid for 30 days while your documents are checked.

Renewing your license

Most U.S. citizens can renew up to 24 months before the license expires; people with temporary lawful status can renew only in the last 30 days. A license expires on your birthday. It is valid for six years up to age 74, three years from 75 to 84 and two years from 85. The fee chart lists a license at $17.50 under 75, $11 from 75 to 84 and $7 from 85. Renewing after the expiration date adds a $6 penalty.

You can renew online or at a BMV Connect kiosk only if all of these apply, among others listed by the BMV:

  • You are a U.S. citizen and Indiana resident, and your name, address and other details have not changed
  • Your previous renewal was done at a branch
  • Your license has not been expired for more than 180 days, and you do not need an exam
  • You are at least 21 and under 75, with fewer than six points on your record

Many Hoosiers can renew online every other time. You must go to a branch if you are 75 or older (unless you send in a vision screening form from an eye doctor), if you change your name or address, or if you hold a commercial license. A branch renewal includes a vision screening. If you have six or more points, you also take the written test.

If your license expires while you are out of state and you cannot renew online, you can request a 30-day interim license by mail with State Form 54580.

Replacing a lost license

You can order a duplicate license online at myBMV, at a BMV Connect kiosk or at a branch. The fee chart lists a replacement credential at $9.

Real ID

The BMV says that every new license, permit or ID card applicant must provide documents proving identity, lawful status, Social Security number and Indiana residency, and in return receives a Real ID-compliant card. For the document list, see the Indiana BMV visit guide or the BMV's Real ID Documentation Checklist.

A Real ID card has a star in the top right corner. A non-compliant card says "NOT FOR REAL ID PURPOSES" at the top. That card still lets you drive and vote, but it is not accepted for federal identification. Holders of an older non-compliant card can upgrade at a branch; the BMV suggests doing it at your next renewal. U.S. citizens do not have to bring the Real ID documents again at later renewals. Once added, the Real ID indicator cannot be removed. See also How can I tell if my driver's license is REAL ID compliant? and REAL ID explained.

State ID cards

An Indiana ID card can be issued to a resident of any age who does not have a driver's license. You cannot hold both, even if one is from another state. You apply with the same documents as for a license.

An ID card is valid for six years and can be renewed up to 24 months before it expires. The BMV says the fee for a new, renewed or replacement card is $9. A free ID card may be issued if you are at least 18, a U.S. citizen and eligible to vote. You can renew or replace an ID card online, at a kiosk or at a branch. People with temporary or permanent lawful status must visit a branch for a replacement.

For vehicle paperwork, see the Indiana vehicle registration and title guide, and for nearby branches the Indiana BMV office list.

Sources · checked October 29, 2026

We wrote this summary ourselves from the official pages above on the date shown. Agencies change rules without notice: the official page always wins. DMVorganization.org is independent and not a government agency.

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