What Are The Driving Age Requirements In Missouri?

For teens wanting to get started on your driver's license journey and you live in Missouri, you may be asking what are the driving age requirements in Missouri? Coastline Academy takes on that question, so find out the Missouri teen driving laws right here!

Missouri Graduated Driver License Law

In Missouri, first-time drivers between the ages of 15 and 18 must complete a period of driving with a licensed driver (Instruction Permit) and restricted driving (Intermediate License) before the Missouri Department of Revenue will issue you a full driver license. A breakdown of the full law and steps can be found here.

First Step: Instruction Permit

When you are 15 years old, you are eligible to take the first step in the Missouri Graduated Driver License Law, which is to obtain an Instruction Permit. It is valid for 12 months. To obtain this permit, you must pass the vision, road sign recognition and written tests at a Missouri State Highway Patrol driver examination station. When going to the license office, a qualified person must go with you to sign a permission statement.

Second Step: Intermediate License

The next step in the Missouri Graduated Driver License Law is to obtain an Intermediate License, which the eligible age is between 16 and 18 years old and it is valid for two years. To obtain this license, you must:

• Have your instruction permit for a minimum of 182 days, which begins on the day after issuance.
• You are not allowed to have any alcohol-related convictions in the last 12 months and no traffic convictions within the last six months.
• Have completed 40 hours of driving instruction, including a minimum of 10 hours of nighttime driving instruction between sunset and sunrise with a qualified person, grandparent or qualified driving instructor.
• Pass the vision, road sign recognition and written tests at a Missouri State Highway Patrol driver examination station if your previous results are more than one year old.
• Pass the driving test at a Missouri State Highway Patrol driver examination station.

Third Step: Under 21 Full Driver License

The third step in the Missouri Graduated Driver License Law would be to obtain an Under 21 Full Driver License, which 18 years old is the eligible age and it is valid for three years. Applicants may be eligible to graduate to a full license if date of application is within 30 days prior to their 18th birthday and all other eligibility requirements have been met.

To obtain this license, you must:

• Satisfy the requirements for an Intermediate License, including having no alcohol-related offenses or traffic convictions in the last 12 months.
• Have a valid intermediate license and your driving privilege cannot be suspended, revoked, or denied when you apply for a full license.
• Pass the vision and road sign recognition tests. You are not required to pass the written and driving tests if already completed.

As you can see, each step of the process has different age restrictions to follow. The Missouri DOR is very detailed with this process, but it will be worth it in the end to have a full driver's license and be a safe driver.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to our friendly support staff. If you want to start your driver's training journey with Coastline Academy, make sure to sign up for Drivers Ed and book your driving lesson today.