Pennsylvania driver license and photo ID: first license, renewal, replacement and REAL ID

How to get a first Pennsylvania driver's license or learner's permit, the junior license rules for teens, transferring an out-of-state license, renewing or replacing your license, REAL ID and photo ID cards, based on PennDOT's own pages.

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

Pennsylvania driver's licenses, learner's permits and photo ID cards are issued by PennDOT Driver and Vehicle Services, part of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. This guide covers the common cases in order: getting a first license (including the teen rules), moving to Pennsylvania with a license from elsewhere, renewing, replacing a lost card, REAL ID and photo IDs. For where to go and what to bring, see the Pennsylvania DMV visit guide.

Your first Pennsylvania license

Every new driver starts with a learner's permit. PennDOT says an initial learner's permit is for anyone 16 or older who has never had a license, or whose out-of-state license has been expired for more than six months. The steps are:

1. Study the Pennsylvania Driver's Manual. It is available online and as audio, and PennDOT offers a sample knowledge test.
2. Get a physical exam. Your health care provider completes the back of Form DL-180, the Non-Commercial Learner's Permit Application. The form must be completed no earlier than six months before your 16th birthday.
3. Go to a Driver License Center for the eye screening and knowledge test. Bring the DL-180, proof of identity (originals only), your signed Social Security card, two proofs of residency if you are 18 or older, and payment. If you pass, you get your learner's permit, which is valid for one year.
4. Practice driving. Applicants under 18 need 65 hours of practice, including 10 hours at night and 5 in bad weather, and must wait six months.
5. Take the road test. Schedule it online or by calling 717-412-5300; some outside businesses also give the test for a fee. Bring your permit, proof of the vehicle's insurance and registration, the accompanying driver's valid license, and Form DL-180C if you are under 18.

PennDOT's fee table lists the initial permit and four-year license at $45.50 (or $33.50 for a two-year license at 65 or older).

Teens: permit and junior license

If you are under 18, a parent, guardian, person in loco parentis, or spouse aged 18 or older must sign Form DL-180TD. If they cannot come with you, it must be signed in front of a notary. PennDOT's young driver fact sheet adds:

• Supervision. While on a permit you must drive with a licensed driver who is at least 21, or a parent, guardian or spouse who is at least 18, licensed for the same or a higher class of vehicle.
• Night driving. Permit holders and junior license holders may not drive between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. There are exceptions for work and for volunteer or charitable service, but you must carry proper documentation.
• Passengers on a junior license. No more than one passenger under 18 who is not immediate family, unless a parent or guardian is in the car. After six months, the limit rises to three, unless you have had a crash you were responsible for or a driving conviction.
• Seat belts. All drivers and passengers under 18 must wear seat belts, and passengers cannot outnumber seat belts.
• Suspensions. A young driver's permit or license is suspended for 90 days for six or more points, or for one conviction of driving 26 mph or more over the limit.

A junior license automatically becomes a regular license on your 18th birthday. You can upgrade earlier, using Form DL-59, if you have held the junior license for a year with no Vehicle Code convictions or at-fault crashes. You must also have completed approved classroom and behind-the-wheel driver training.

Moving to Pennsylvania with another state's license

PennDOT says new residents with a non-commercial out-of-state license must get a Pennsylvania license within 60 days. You apply at a Driver License Center. There you surrender your old license, which must be valid or expired for six months or less. You also pass a vision test, complete Form DL-180R, and bring proof of identity, residency and your Social Security card. PennDOT says new residents with the right out-of-state licenses do not need a knowledge test. Out-of-state learner's permits cannot be transferred.

The fee table lists an out-of-state new driver four-year license at $39.50. See also How long do new Pennsylvania residents have to get a PA driver's license?

Renewing your license

A Pennsylvania license is valid for four years and expires the day after your birthday. PennDOT mails an invitation to renew three months before expiration. If you are 65 or older, you can choose a two-year license instead.

• Online: if nothing needs correcting or changing apart from your address. A camera card arrives by mail within 14 days, and the printed receipt is your temporary driving document.
• By mail or in person: return the renewal invitation (or Form DL-143) with a check or money order payable to PennDOT. A camera card follows within seven to ten working days of processing.

Either way, you then take the camera card and an ID to any photo license center for your new photo and license. The fee table lists a four-year renewal at $39.50 and a two-year renewal (65 and older) at $27.50.

Replacing a lost license

If your license is lost, stolen, damaged or never arrived, you can apply for a duplicate:

• Online, if PennDOT has your photo and signature on file.
• By mail, with Form DL-80 and a check or money order, sent to PennDOT, P.O. Box 68272, Harrisburg, PA 17106-8272.
• In person, at a Driver License Center or an online messenger service, using Form DL-80. You get an interim license valid for 15 days.

The fee table lists a duplicate or replacement license at $42.50.

REAL ID

PennDOT says REAL ID is optional: if you have a valid U.S. passport, military ID or another federally accepted ID, you do not need one to fly. For a REAL ID you bring one proof of identity and lawful status, one proof of your Social Security number, and two proofs of Pennsylvania residency. If your first Pennsylvania product was issued after September 2003, you may be able to pre-verify and order it online. Otherwise you apply in person: at a REAL ID Center (issued the same day) or a Driver License Center (mailed within 15 days). It costs a one-time $30 plus your normal renewal fee.

Our Pennsylvania REAL ID guide covers pre-verification and documents in detail. To check a card you already have, see How can I tell if my driver's license is REAL ID compliant?

Photo ID cards

PennDOT issues a photo ID card to any Pennsylvania resident aged 10 or older; it is not a driver's license. You complete the application (Form DL-54A if you already hold a valid Pennsylvania driver's license) and bring proof of identity and your Social Security card. If you are 18 or older, you also bring two proofs of address. You can apply by mail or at a Driver License Center, where staff send you to the photo center. The fee table lists an initial ID at $43.50 and a replacement at $42.50. PennDOT also points to free IDs for people experiencing homelessness.

You can renew a photo ID online, through an online messenger service, or at a Driver License or photo center. If you have not received the renewal application and your ID expires within six months, use Form DL-54B.

For vehicles, see the Pennsylvania vehicle registration and title guide, and for nearby centers the Pennsylvania office list.