Minnesota driver's license and ID card: first license, renewal, replacement and REAL ID

How Minnesota's graduated licensing works for teens, what new drivers 18 and older need, how to transfer an out-of-state license, renew or replace your card, and how standard, REAL ID and enhanced cards differ, from Minnesota DVS.

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

Minnesota driver's licenses, instruction permits and ID cards are issued by Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS), part of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. You take tests at DVS exam stations and apply at DVS offices or driver's license agents. This guide covers a first license for teens and adults, moving to Minnesota, renewal, replacement, and the three card types. For appointments and the document lists, see the Minnesota DVS visit guide.

Teen drivers: three phases

Minnesota uses graduated driver's licensing for drivers under 18.

Phase I: instruction permit

To get a permit, you must:

  • Be at least 15 years old
  • Complete 30 hours of classroom instruction and be enrolled in behind-the-wheel training
  • Pass the Class D written test

You can take the written test at a DVS exam station by appointment, with no time limit. Your first two attempts there are free; after two failures, each retest costs $10. You can also test with a third-party proctor, who may charge a fee and does not allow interpreters.

Once you pass, apply at an office with your parent or legal guardian, and have your vision checked. The permit is valid for two years. While practicing, you must be supervised by a licensed driver aged 21 or older in the front seat. You may not use a phone, even hands-free.

Phase II: provisional license

To take the road test, you must:

  • Be at least 16 years old
  • Have completed the classroom and behind-the-wheel parts of driver education
  • Have held your permit for 180 days with no convictions for moving or alcohol/controlled-substance violations

Book the road test online or through DVS. On test day, bring:

  • Your permit
  • A licensed driver
  • An insured, registered vehicle in working order
  • Proof of six hours of behind-the-wheel training
  • A printed supervised driving log

For the first six months of a provisional license, you may not drive between midnight and 5 a.m., with some exceptions. You may carry only one passenger under 20 who is not immediate family, unless a parent or guardian is present. For the second six months, the limit is three such passengers. A provisional license is good for two years.

Phase III: full license

You qualify for a full license at 18, or after holding a provisional license for 12 consecutive months with a clean enough record. Under DVS's rules, that means no alcohol or controlled-substance violations, no crash-related moving violations and no more than one other moving violation. Licenses for drivers under 21 are vertical and expire on your 21st birthday.

DVS's forms page also lists applications for a restricted provisional license for farm work or for a medical reason. The driver education page says farm work and medical licenses are exceptions to the usual age and practice-time rules.

New drivers 18 and older

Adults also start with an instruction permit and the written test. The required practice time depends on your age:

  • 18-year-olds: hold the permit for 180 days
  • 19 and older: hold the permit for 90 days

While practicing, your supervisor must be a licensed driver aged 18 or older. Then you pass a road test and apply for your license at an office, with a vision check. If you fail the road test after two tries, each further test costs $20. If you fail four times, you may need six hours of behind-the-wheel instruction first.

Moving to Minnesota

If you are over 21 and hold a valid, unexpired, non-commercial license, you do not need a written or road test to transfer it. This applies to licenses from another U.S. state, Canada, the U.S. military and several U.S. territories. Otherwise, testing depends on your situation:

  • Expired license: you must pass the written test.
  • Expired more than one year: you must pass both the written and road tests.
  • Under 21: you must pass the written test.
  • Most foreign licenses: you need both tests. Germany and Taiwan have special arrangements.

When you apply, bring the documents for the card type you want, pass a vision check and pay the fee.

Renewing

Licenses expire on your birthday. Standard and REAL ID licenses for drivers 21 and older last four years. You can renew as early as nine months before expiration without shortening the renewal cycle. If you are under 21, wait until no more than 60 days before your 21st birthday.

To renew at an office, bring:

  • Your previous Minnesota license or ID
  • Proof of residence, if your address changed and you have a REAL ID or enhanced card
  • Proof of a name change, if your name changed (update it with Social Security first)
  • Your Social Security number
  • Payment

DVS checks your vision and takes your photo.

By mail: if you are temporarily outside Minnesota, for example living elsewhere for the winter, you can request a remote application. Remote renewal is not available if:

  • Your license has been expired for more than one year
  • You hold an enhanced license
  • Your photo is more than five years old
  • Your last renewal was also remote and you did not take a new photo in Minnesota

DVS's fee list shows a Class D renewal at $41.

Replacing a lost or stolen license

A duplicate keeps the same expiration date and costs less than a renewal; DVS lists it at $26. Visit an office that offers duplicates or renewals and say you need a replacement. Your photo on file is used to verify your identity. If you are a victim of identity theft, DVS says you can add an identity theft marker to your record with its Victim of Identity Theft form. Bring the police report if you want to change your license or ID number.

REAL ID and enhanced cards

Since May 7, 2025, a standard Minnesota card is not accepted for domestic flights or entry to certain federal facilities. For that, you need a REAL ID, an enhanced card or another federally accepted ID. For a REAL ID, apply in person with:

  • One document proving your full legal name, date of birth and legal presence
  • Proof of each name change
  • Two documents showing your current Minnesota address
  • Your Social Security number

An enhanced card is also REAL ID-compliant. It is for U.S. citizens aged 16 or older. It can be used to cross the border by land or sea to and from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean. It costs $15 on top of the regular card fee and needs a new photo with every application.

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.

ID cards

An ID card has no minimum age. You apply at an office with documents proving your full name and date of birth. Cards for people under 21 are vertical and valid until the 21st birthday. From 21 to 64, ID cards renew every four years. From age 65, a standard ID does not expire, a REAL ID lasts eight years and an enhanced ID four. DVS lists a reduced fee for people with qualifying disabilities and a free card for youth experiencing homelessness.

For vehicle paperwork, see the Minnesota vehicle title and registration guide, and for offices the Minnesota 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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