Motorcycle License in Minnesota
Verified against Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Driver and Vehicle Services ·
Compiled and verified against primary state DMV/DPS/BMV sources by GetMotorcycleLicense Research Team — cite-or-deny, with no invented figures. How we source & verify →
Minnesota adds a motorcycle endorsement to an existing driver's license after a one-year instruction permit and a knowledge and road test, though the road test can instead be satisfied through the Minnesota Motorcycle Safety Center's Basic Rider Course, taught on Minnesota State college and university campuses. Riders under 18 must complete an approved safety course before either the permit or the endorsement is issued. Minnesota requires a helmet only of riders under 18 and of anyone still riding on an instruction permit; a fully endorsed rider 18 or older may ride without one.
Minnesota's motorcycle license requirements — including a $29 fee to add the endorsement and a training course completion that can waive the skills test — are verified against Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Driver and Vehicle Services (see Minnesota DPS — Motorcycle permit), current as of 2026-07-28.
Minnesota Motorcycle License Requirements at a Glance
| Requirement | Minnesota |
|---|---|
| Permit | Motorcycle Instruction Permit |
| Permit minimum age | 16 years |
| Permit fee | $29 |
| Permit validity | 365 days |
| Minimum age (unrestricted) | — |
| License fee | $29 |
| Renewal fee | $17 |
| Knowledge test | Required |
| Skills test | Requiredgiven by a third-party tester |
A new Minnesota resident 21 or older with a valid, unexpired out-of-state motorcycle endorsement transfers with no test required, on payment of the endorsement fee. A new resident under 21 must take the written tests for both the Class D license and the motorcycle endorsement; passing both written tests waives the road test for the transfer. If the out-of-state license has been expired less than a year, the written tests are required; if expired a year or more, both the written and road tests are required.
How do you get a motorcycle license in Minnesota?
- Reach the minimum permit age. You must be at least 16 to apply for a motorcycle permit in Minnesota.
- Pass the knowledge test. Minnesota requires a motorcycle knowledge test.
- Get your motorcycle permit. The permit costs $29. It is valid for 365 days.
- Train if required. Riders under 18 must complete a motorcycle safety course.
- Pass the skills test, or waive it. Minnesota requires a motorcycle skills test. Completing Minnesota's motorcycle safety course waives it.
- Pay the fee and get your license. The license costs $29.
Common questions about motorcycle licensing in Minnesota
How old do you have to be to get a motorcycle permit in Minnesota?
You must be at least 16 to apply for a motorcycle permit in Minnesota.
Issued after passing a knowledge test at a DVS exam station and paying the permit fee; no appointment is needed for the knowledge test, which may be taken once per day. An applicant under 18 must also show a certificate from an approved motorcycle driver's safety course before the permit is issued. Minn. Stat. §169.974, subd. 2(c) further requires that any permit applicant be 'enrolled in an approved motorcycle driver's safety course' — a statutory requirement that Minnesota's own public permit guidance does not repeat for adult applicants. While riding on the permit, a holder must wear eye protection and a DOT-approved helmet, may not carry a passenger, and may not ride at night (from half an hour after sunset to half an hour before sunrise). The permit is valid for one year; an expired permit requires retaking the written test and paying the fee again.
What is the minimum age for a motorcycle license in Minnesota?
An applicant under 18 must complete an approved motorcycle driver's safety course before receiving either the instruction permit or the endorsement; a rider 18 or older can reach the endorsement through the permit-and-road-test route without a course, or through the Basic Rider Course, which serves as an alternate route to the road test for any age.
Does Minnesota require a motorcycle knowledge test?
Yes, Minnesota requires a motorcycle knowledge test.
A written test taken at a DVS exam station, first-come first-served with no appointment required, to obtain the instruction permit. Study material is the Minnesota Motorcycle and Motorized Bicycle Manual.
Does Minnesota require a motorcycle skills test?
Yes, Minnesota requires a motorcycle skills test. In Minnesota, completing Minnesota's motorcycle safety course waives it.
A road test that requires an appointment at a DVS exam station, or is instead satisfied through the Minnesota Motorcycle Safety Center's Basic Rider Course, whose in-course skills evaluation is administered as authorized third-party testing 'for motorcycle license endorsement' in place of the DVS-administered test. An applicant under 18 must bring a certificate of course completion when testing. A failed road test results in assigned practice time before the next attempt.
How much does a motorcycle license cost in Minnesota?
A motorcycle license in Minnesota costs $29. The permit costs $29.
How often do you renew a motorcycle license in Minnesota?
Renewal costs $17.
Completing Minnesota's motorcycle safety course waives the state's motorcycle skills test. See Minnesota’s motorcycle safety course.
Minnesota helmet law
Required for some riders
A rider is exempt only if all of the following are true:
- the rider is 18 or older
For the operator only, this additional condition also applies — it does not bind a passenger:
- the operator holds the full motorcycle endorsement rather than only a motorcycle instruction permit — Minn. Stat. §169.974, subd. 2(d)(3) separately requires anyone riding by virtue of an instruction permit to wear protective headgear, regardless of age; an 18-or-older permit holder is therefore not yet exempt on age alone. Because a permit holder may not carry a passenger at all, this second criterion has no separate application to a passenger.
Subdivision 4(a) requires protective headgear only of a person under 18 who operates or rides a motorcycle, and requires eye protection of every operator regardless of age. Subdivision 4(b) exempts participants, of any age, in a permitted parade, and exempts anyone riding within an enclosed-cab autocycle, from both requirements.
Minn. Stat. §169.974, subd. 4 · verified 2026-07-28
Source Notes
Where a source is stale, conflicting, or required a judgment call, we document it here rather than presenting a single confident-sounding number. See our methodology for how these calls are made.
- License, permit, fee and test rules come from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Driver and Vehicle Services. Helmet, eye-protection and permit-restriction rules come from Minnesota Statutes §169.974, as published by the Minnesota Legislature.
- The Minnesota Motorcycle Safety Center's Basic Rider Course, taught on Minnesota State college and university campuses, can substitute for the Department of Public Safety's own road test at any age; the written knowledge test is still required regardless of course completion.
- Minnesota requires a helmet of a rider under 18 and of anyone still riding on a motorcycle instruction permit, regardless of age. A fully endorsed rider 18 or older may ride without one.
means no primary source publishes that figure — left blank on purpose rather than estimated or copied from an unverified aggregator.
Sources
Data last verified: 2026-07-28 (verified by: agent) | Source: Minnesota DPS — Motorcycle permit