When applying for a Missouri driver permit with Missouri State Highway Patrol, it is important to know the permit requirements. Make sure you have the met the conditions and that you have the necessary documents ready.
Missouri has a Graduated Driver License law for teen drivers. Along with a three-step license process, drivers will be required to complete several tests along the way. These include vision testing, road sign recognition tests, a written exam and a driving test.
How to Apply for Your Missouri Instruction Permit
The first step for teen prospective drivers in Missouri is to obtain an instruction permit. Drivers aged 15 and older are eligible to apply. The permit is valid for 12 months, and it can be renewed if it expires before you get the intermediate license. The cost is $3.50.
You and your parent or legal guardian will need to bring along a few pieces of documentation, including an original birth certificate, passport or any other document proving your U.S. citizenship. You will also need to be able to provide your social security card. Parents must bring a document that verifies the correct residential address as a street address, not a post office box. This can include a bank statement, utility bill, mortgage document or property rental contract.
Tests You Will Need to Complete for your Missouri Permit
Teens will need to visit a driver examination station provided by the Missouri State Highway Patrol and successfully complete three tests: a vision exam, a written test and a road sign recognition test. The written test will consist of 25 multiple-choice questions pertaining to driving laws and proper driving methods. It will not be an open-book test, so be sure to study beforehand. To pass, you will need to get at least 20 questions right, or 80 percent.
You will then take a quick vision test. Examiners will also give you a test to make sure you recognize and understand the meanings of various road signs.
Rules for Missouri Drivers with Instruction Permits
Once the instruction permit is obtained, new drivers must abide by several rules at all times while driving. Under the age of 16, drivers must always have a front-seat passenger that is either a parent, grandparent or driving instructor. Other qualified adults include someone designated by a disabled guardian or anyone over the age of 25 with at least three years as a license holder. When a teen is 16 or older, any licensed driver over the age of 21 may accompany the permit holder. Teen permit holders will be expected to obey all traffic laws, everyone in the car must wear a seat-belt at all times and the permit holder must have the permit with them while driving.
Missouri Intermediate License
At the age of 16 instruction permit holders are eligible for the intermediate license when they have held an instruction permit for at least 6 months with no traffic or alcohol violations. Permit holders must complete at least 40 hours of driving with a qualified passenger, including at least 10 hours driving at night before earning a license. You should use the log sheet http://dor.mo.gov/forms/4901.pdf to record your practice hours.
Once the new driver has completed the above successfully, they may go on to receive the intermediate license. Drivers must visit an examination station and pass a driving test provided by the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The written test, road sign recognition exam and vision testing need to be retaken if the results from the instruction permit are more than a year old. The cost for this license is $7.50 and it will remain valid until the driver turns 18.
There are a few rules that intermediate license holders must follow. During the first six months of licensing, new drivers are allowed only one passenger that is 19 years old or younger, unless those passengers are immediate family members. Once the six-month period has passed, drivers may carry up to three passengers under the age of 19. In addition, intermediate license holders are not allowed to drive between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. unless it involves going to and from work, or a school activity. However, intermediate license holders may drive between those hours if they are with another licensed driver that is at least 21 years old.
Under 21 License in Missouri
When the intermediate license holder reaches the age of 18, they must apply for the unrestricted Under 21 Full Driver's License. This license remains valid until the driver reaches the age of 21, and it comes at a cost of $10. To be eligible, drivers may not have any alcohol or traffic offenses in the past year, and they must have an intermediate license in good standing with no suspensions.
