The instruction permit and provisional license

Key points

1. Your permit is valid for two years, with a licensed supervising driver in the front passenger seat.

   Source: Handbook p. 13

   “Your permit is valid for two years of practice driving with a licensed supervising driver sitting in the front passenger seat.”
   Minnesota Driver's Manual, Handbook p. 13

2. To get a permit you must be at least 15 and complete 30 hours of classroom instruction, or 15 hours of a concurrent course.

   Source: Handbook p. 13

   “Complete 30 hours of classroom instruction and be enrolled in behind-the-wheel instruction; or be enrolled in a concurrent driver education course and have completed the first 15 classroom hours”
   Minnesota Driver's Manual, Handbook p. 13

3. Under 18, your supervisor must be 21 or older, everyone must be belted, and you may not use a cell phone at all.

   Source: Handbook p. 13

   “If you are under 18 You must be supervised by a driver aged 21 or older. Everyone in the vehicle must wear a seat belt or use a child passenger restraint system. You may not use or talk on a cell phone while driving, with or without a hands-free device.”
   Minnesota Driver's Manual, Handbook p. 13

4. If you are 18 or older, your supervisor must be 18 or older.

   Source: Handbook p. 14

   “If you are 18 and older You must be supervised by a driver aged 18 or older.”
   Minnesota Driver's Manual, Handbook p. 14

5. Hold the permit six months before the road test, or three months if you are 19 or older.

   Source: Handbook p. 14

   “After the required six months of practice driving (or three months if you are 19 years old or older), you may take the road test.”
   Minnesota Driver's Manual, Handbook p. 14

6. For a provisional license you must be at least 16 and have completed classroom and behind the wheel driver education.

   Source: Handbook p. 14

   “Be at least 16 years old. Have completed the classroom and behind-the-wheel phases of driver education.”
   Minnesota Driver's Manual, Handbook p. 14

7. With the parent class, log at least 40 supervised hours, 15 at night. Without it, log at least 50 hours, 15 at night.

   Source: Handbook p. 14

   “a log showing at least 40 hours of supervised driving, including 15 nighttime hours. If not taking the parent class, your teen must submit a log showing at least 50 hours of supervised”
   Minnesota Driver's Manual, Handbook p. 14

8. A provisional license is valid for two years and has restrictions a full license does not.

   Source: Handbook p. 14

   “This license is valid for two years from the application date and has restrictions that do not apply to a full driver's license.”
   Minnesota Driver's Manual, Handbook p. 14

Numbers to know

3 questions from the Minnesota practice test

1. 1. How many supervised driving hours must a Minnesota teen log if a parent completes the parent class?

   1. At least 40 hours including 15 nighttime hours; 50 hours without the parent class
   2. 10 hours
   3. 100 hours
   4. 20 hours with no night driving
   Show answer

   At least 40 hours including 15 nighttime hours; 50 hours without the parent class. Parents or guardians have two options: complete a parent class from a Minnesota approved driver education program and submit a log showing at least 40 hours of supervised driving including 15 nighttime hours, or skip the class and have the teen log at least 50 hours. After six months of practice, or three months at age 19 or older, the teen may take the road test.

2. 2. What minimum age must an applicant meet to qualify for a Minnesota provisional license?

   1. 15 years
   2. 16 years
   3. 17 years
   4. 18 years
   Show answer

   16 years. A Minnesota provisional license applicant must be at least 16 years old. The choice “15 years” is the instruction-permit age range many new drivers associate with the graduated system, but it is below the stated provisional-license threshold. The choice “17 years” adds an unsupported extra year, and the choice “18 years” confuses this stage with the age requirement for a later under-21 Class D license. Age alone is not the entire application requirement: the manual also lists driver education, permit history, a supervised log, and a passed road test. Think of 16 as the minimum gate, followed by the training requirements.

3. 3. How long must a Minnesota applicant age 19 or older hold an instruction permit before the road test?

   1. One year
   2. At least three months, compared with six months for younger applicants
   3. No permit is required at 19
   4. Two weeks
   Show answer

   At least three months, compared with six months for younger applicants. After the required six months of practice driving, or three months if you are 19 years old or older, you may take the road test. Applicants 18 and older must be supervised by a driver aged 18 or older while on the permit, and everyone in the vehicle must wear a seat belt or child restraint. Road test scheduling is covered in Chapter 9 of the manual.

Source: the Minnesota Driver's Manual, Chapter 1: Your license to drive. This lesson is a plain English summary, not the law itself; where it differs, the manual and the statute govern. Last checked 2026-09-27.