Mississippi Intermediate License (Teen)

By Javier Marín, Editor·Last reviewed September 2026·How we check this

The Mississippi intermediate license is the middle stage of the state's three-step Graduated Driver Licensing program. It's issued at age 16 to teens who have held a learner's permit for the full 12 months, and it lets the holder drive solo — with restrictions — until age 17, when the license converts to a full unrestricted Class R license.

Eligibility

To apply for an intermediate license, the teen must:

Be at least 16 years old on the day of the road test.
Have held a Mississippi learner's permit for a minimum of 12 consecutive months.
Have no traffic convictions or alcohol-related offenses during the permit period.
Have completed the parent-or-guardian-supervised practice expected for the road test (Mississippi does not require a logged hour count but examiners will ask).
Pass a road test administered by an MS DPS examiner.
Be currently enrolled in school or have completed high school equivalency, under MS Code § 63-1-9.

The intermediate license fee is the standard issuance fee — $24 for a 4-year license, $47 for an 8-year license — though many teens take the 4-year cycle since they'll need a renewal at adulthood for Real ID compliance and address updates anyway.

Intermediate license restrictions (age 16-17)

Once issued, the Mississippi intermediate license carries strict restrictions:

Nighttime curfew: No driving between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. on weekdays, or between 11:30 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. on weekends, unless the driver is on the way to or from work or school, on church business, or accompanied by a parent, guardian, or licensed driver age 21+.
Cell-phone restriction: Drivers under 18 cannot use a wireless device (handheld or hands-free) while driving, except in emergency situations or to call a parent. Texting is prohibited for all drivers in Mississippi but is treated as a moving violation under the GDL rule for under-18 drivers.
Seatbelt requirement: All occupants must be in seatbelts at all times. The driver is responsible for any unbelted under-18 passenger.

Mississippi does not impose a passenger limit during the intermediate stage in the same form some states use, but a violation that distracts the driver (excessive horseplay, for instance) can be cited as a separate moving violation.

Penalties for restriction violations

Mississippi treats GDL restriction violations as moving violations. They post to the teen's record under the Mississippi point system at 2 points each:

First conviction: 30-day extension of the under-18 restriction period, plus the 2 points.
Second conviction: 60-day license suspension.
Third conviction: 6-month license suspension and reapplication required.

An intermediate license holder convicted of an alcohol- or drug-related driving offense triggers Mississippi's 0.02% zero-tolerance threshold for under-21 drivers and an automatic license suspension — see Mississippi DUI laws for the full schedule of consequences.

Graduating to a full Class R license

The intermediate license automatically converts to a full unrestricted Class R license on the holder's 17th birthday, provided the driver:

Has held the intermediate license for at least 6 months.
Has no convictions in the prior 12 months.
Is not currently under suspension.

No road test is required at the conversion. The license card itself does not need to be replaced — the GDL restrictions simply expire by operation of law — but many teens replace the card to remove the visible "intermediate" notation. The replacement fee is $11.

School attendance and the license

Mississippi enforces an unusual rule under MS Code § 63-1-9: a student under 18 who drops out of school, or who accumulates more than 10 unexcused absences in a school year, can have their learner's permit or intermediate license suspended until they reenroll or complete the school year with adequate attendance. Schools report attendance violations to the Mississippi DPS Driver Service Bureau, which then issues the suspension notice. The rule is enforced inconsistently across counties but can catch teens by surprise.

Insurance and parent liability

Mississippi minimum auto liability is 25/50/25. Adding an intermediate license holder to a parent's policy is mandatory the day the teen begins solo driving; insurers generally rate teens as the highest-risk category until age 18 or two clean years on record. The signing adult who certified the under-18 application is financially liable for any judgment arising from the teen's driving until the teen turns 18. See Mississippi car insurance for the teen-specific options.