DC Provisional License (Teen Driver)

DC's provisional license is the middle stage of the District's graduated driver licensing path — between the learner permit at 16 and the unrestricted Class D license at 18. The provisional license lets a 16-year-old drive without a supervising adult, but with passenger and curfew restrictions designed to limit the riskiest combinations for new drivers.

Eligibility

To qualify for a DC provisional license, the applicant must:

• Be at least 16 years 6 months old.
• Have held a DC learner permit for at least 6 months.
• Have completed 40 hours of supervised driving, including 10 hours at night, certified on the parent log.
• Have completed the 50-hour classroom driver education program.
• Have a parent or guardian sign the financial responsibility affidavit.
• Pass the DC DMV road test on DC streets.

Documents and fee

Bring originals of the documents already used for the permit (birth certificate or passport, Social Security proof, two residency proofs), the parent driving log, the surrendered permit, and a completed DMV-100 application updated for the provisional stage. The provisional license fee is approximately $20; verify on dmv.dc.gov as fees adjust periodically.

Passenger restrictions

For the first 6 months of the provisional license, the holder may carry no passengers under 21, except for immediate family members. The restriction does not apply when a parent, legal guardian, or other licensed driver age 21 or older is in the front passenger seat — that supervising adult effectively suspends the restriction for the trip.

After the first 6 months pass without a moving-violation conviction, the passenger restriction relaxes: the holder may carry up to two non-family passengers under 21. The full passenger restriction lifts when the driver advances to a full Class D license.

Curfew

DC provisional license holders may not drive between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and midnight and 6 a.m. Friday and Saturday, unless one of the following applies:

• A parent, legal guardian, or licensed adult 21 or older is in the front passenger seat.
• The trip is to or from work, with employer documentation in the vehicle.
• The trip is to or from a school-sponsored activity, with school documentation.
• The trip is for an emergency, including transporting a sick or injured person.

The curfew applies until the driver advances to a full Class D license.

Cellphone and seatbelt rules

DC bans any handheld cellphone use by provisional license holders, including hands-free use. (Adult drivers may use hands-free devices; provisional drivers may not.) All passengers must wear seatbelts at all times — DC's primary seatbelt enforcement rule applies. Texting while driving is illegal for any driver in DC, but provisional drivers are subject to the all-cellphone prohibition.

Advancing to a full license

The provisional license converts to a full unrestricted Class D license when:

• The driver turns 18, regardless of provisional history; or
• The driver has held the provisional license for at least 6 months without any moving-violation conviction, and is at least 17 years old.

A moving violation during the provisional period extends the clean-record clock by 6 months; a serious violation can result in suspension and an extended provisional stage. See the point system page for how DC tracks violations during the provisional period and the full license page for what changes once the restrictions lift.