Get your first driver's license in North Dakota

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How a first-time driver gets a North Dakota license: pass the knowledge test (online or at a driver license site) for a learner's permit, hold it and practice, then pass a road test.

Your situation

How old are you?
Online or in person
Start online, with the knowledge test · At least two visitsYou can take the knowledge test online through KnowToDrive, NDDOT's official online testing platform, or in person. Then make an appointment at a driver license site to get the permit. Road tests can be scheduled online. An appointment at a driver license site for the permit (vision screening and application), then a road test appointment. All business at the sites is by appointment only.
Cost
$15 permit + $15 license + $5 road testKnowledge test $5 per attempt (one attempt a day), learner's permit $15, road test $5, non-commercial license $15.
You leave with
Learner's permit, then a Class D license

Your plan

  1. Gather your documents

    • Show accepted documents (bring 1)
      • U.S. birth certificate (state certified)
      • Valid U.S. passport or passport card
      • Certificate of naturalization or citizenship
      • Permanent resident card
    • Show accepted documents (bring 1)
      • Social Security card
      • W-2 form
      • SSA 1099 or non-SSA 1099 form
      • Pay stub
    • Show accepted documents (bring 2)
      • Property tax statement
      • Mortgage, lease or rental document
      • Utility bill
      • Pay stub or statement from employer
      • Vehicle insurance policy or statement
    • Show accepted documents
      • $5 knowledge test (per attempt)
      • $15 permit
      • $5 road test
      • $15 license

  2. Study the Class D manual

    The noncommercial driver license manual prepares you for the knowledge test, which is offered in 14 languages.

    Class D manual (PDF) ↗

  3. Pass the knowledge test

    You must be at least 14. Take the test online through KnowToDrive, or at a driver license site by appointment. Each attempt costs $5 and you get one attempt a day.

    How to apply for a learner's permit ↗

  4. Get your learner's permit

    Make an appointment at a driver license site, pass the vision screening, complete the application and pay the $15 permit fee. A driver at least 18 with a valid license for the vehicle and at least three years of driving experience must sit beside you; no one else may sit in the front seat unless the vehicle has only a front seat. Anyone driving on an instruction permit may not use an electronic communication device while driving.

  5. Practice with your permit

    NDDOT's learner's permit page lists no holding period for applicants 18 and older; you must still pass a road test through the state.

  6. Schedule and pass the road test

    Road tests are by appointment only and are given in Bismarck, Devils Lake, Dickinson, Fargo, Grand Forks, Jamestown, Minot and Williston. Bring current registration and proof of insurance for the vehicle; it must pass an equipment inspection first. Applicants under 16 bring a driver's education certificate and a parent or legal guardian. The manual says applicants 15 and older may have the road test waived with an approved certificate of at least 30 hours of classroom and six hours of behind-the-wheel driver training.

    Driver license sites ↗

Common reasons people get turned away

  • Every service at a driver license site needs an appointment; knowledge tests must be booked no later than one hour before closing (one hour before noon at offices that close for lunch).
  • The road test is not given if the vehicle fails the equipment inspection or you lack current registration and proof of insurance.
  • Leaving the testing area or bringing a phone or notes into it counts as a failed knowledge test.
  • Under 18, a license can be cancelled after an alcohol- or drug-related driving offense when the official with jurisdiction orders it; you then start over as a new applicant, including the permit holding period and driver education. A parent or guardian who signed can also withdraw consent at any time, which cancels the permit or license.
  • Passing the knowledge test online does not give you the permit: you still book an appointment at a driver license site.

Offices for permits, tests and first licenses

NDDOT says all business at its driver license sites is by appointment, and knowledge tests need an appointment. Road tests are given only in Bismarck, Devils Lake, Dickinson, Fargo, Grand Forks, Jamestown, Minot and Williston. Agency source.

19 offices where you can apply for a permit or first licenseSee them on a map, search by county or show the ones open now

Largest cities with them: Fargo (1)

Results show offices where you can apply for a permit or first license or may be able to, nearest first, each labelled.

Read more

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Sources · checked November 4, 2026

We wrote this plan ourselves from the official pages above on the date shown. Agencies change rules without notice: the official page always wins. DMV Decoded is independent and not a government agency; we don't book appointments or take payments.