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To apply for a provisional permit, you will need the following:

• Be at least 15 ½, but under 18 years of age
• Visit a DMV office (make an appointment for faster service)
• Complete the application form DL 44 (An original DL 44 form must be submitted. Copies obtained by xeroxing, faxing, or other methods will not be accepted.)
• Have your parents' or guardians' signatures on the application form DL 44
• Give a thumb print
• Have your picture taken
• Provide your social security number. It will be verified with the Social Security Administration while you are in the office.
• Verify your birth date and legal presence
• Provide your true full name
• Submit the proper form(s) for driver education and/or driver training classes (See below for details.)
• Pay the application fee (This fee entitles you to three exams of any type within the 12-month period and pays for both the instruction permit and the driver license. If all requirements are not met within the 12-month period, the application becomes void and all steps must be completed again.)
• Pass a vision exam
• Pass a traffic laws and sign test. There are 46 questions on the test. A passing score is at least 39 correct answers. You have three chances to pass the test. If you fail, you must wait 7 days before taking it again.

Note: To allow you sufficient time for testing, DMV will not be administering written or audio exams after 4:30 p.m.

Effective January 1, 2006, a new law increased driving restrictions for persons under the age of 18 who:

• Are issued a provisional driver license (DL) on or after January 1, 2006, or
• Already hold a provisional DL issued on or after January 1, 2005.

Provisional Driving Restrictions — You must be accompanied and supervised by a licensed parent, guardian or other licensed driver 25 years of age or older or a licensed or certified driving instructor when you:

• Transport passengers under 20 years of age at any time, for the first twelve months.
• Drive between 11pm and 5am for the first twelve months.

To determine if these restrictions apply to you, look at the date on your driver license. The date printed just to the left of your photograph is the date these restrictions begin. The new restrictions apply for 12 months following this date. For example: If the date on your license is May 7, 2005, you will have the above restrictions through May 7, 2006. Violation of either restriction can result in a fine and/or community service.

Persons under 18 may not be employed to drive a motor vehicle. When you turn 18 years of age, the provisional part of your license ends. You may continue to drive as an adult using your photo license, which will expire on your 5th birthday after the date you applied.

When reasonable transportation is not available and it is necessary for you to drive, the law grants the following exceptions for minors to drive between 11 pm and 5 am or to transport an immediate family member unaccompanied and unsupervised.

The law requires that you must carry a note explaining why you must drive and when the necessity will end.

• Medical Necessity
  The note must be signed by your physician and contain a diagnosis and probable date when recovery will end your need to drive.
• School or School–Authorized Activities
  The note must be signed by your school principal, dean, or his or her designee and include a reason for the school or school–authorized activity and the date when the activity will end.
• Employment Necessity
  The note must be signed by your employer and verify employment and the date your employment will end.
• Immediate Need of Family Member
  The note must be signed by your parent or legal guardian and include the reason and date the necessity will end.
• Emancipated Minor
  No documentation is needed for this exemption, however you must have already declared yourself emancipated by completing a DMV form and by providing Proof of Financial Responsibility (SR 1P) in lieu of your guarantors' signatures when you applied for your instruction permit.

A minor's application for a driver license must have the signatures of:

• Both parents, if the parents are California residents and have joint custody, or
• Both parents, if divorced, with joint custody, or
• One parent, if that parent has custody, or
• Guardians of the minor, if neither parent is living or has custody, or
• The person(s) having actual full and complete custody, if no legal guardian is appointed.

NOTE: Nonresident parents cannot sign the application form and cannot accept liability for a minor in California. Nonresident military parents stationed and living in California can sign the application form and accept liability for a minor.

When parents or guardians sign for a minor to get a driver license, they are stating that they will accept financial responsibility for that minor. Financial responsibility in California requires that drivers and vehicle owners carry the following minimum monetary limits:

• $15,000 for injury or death of 1 person per accident
• $30,000 for injury or death of 2 or more persons per accident
• $5,000 for any property damage per accident

Evidence of financial responsibility must be carried at all times in the vehicle. Most Californians maintain financial responsibility through insurance companies, which provide the policy holder with an identification card to be used as evidence of coverage. The card must state the insurance company's name and address, the period of coverage, and policy number.