Motorcycle Permit Rules by State

Updated September 28, 2026 · Verified against each state's own DMV, DPS, BMV or MVA, its statutes, or its state-run rider-training programme

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 →

Permit rules, state by state

Permit restrictions, state by state

• Alabama: Alabama does not issue a motorcycle learner's or instruction permit distinct from the Class M license itself. An applicant who passes the motorcycle knowledge test and the road skills test at a driver license office is issued the Class M license outright, with no intermediate document, minimum holding period or supervised-riding stage beforehand. Before the road test, an examiner inspects the motorcycle for required equipment (brake lights and turn signals) and the applicant must present proof of registration and insurance; a rental vehicle may be used only if the applicant is named on the rental agreement.
• Alaska: Available with parental consent at 14. It requires a written motorcycle knowledge test and a vision test, is valid for two years from issue, and may be renewed once. A permit holder must ride only during daylight, may not carry a passenger, and must be accompanied by, and under the visual supervision of, a rider on a separate motorcycle who is at least 21 and holds a valid motorcycle endorsement. An applicant under 18 must hold the permit for at least six months before applying for the license; an applicant who is 18 or older when applying faces no such holding period and may present a still-valid permit in place of repeating the knowledge test.
• Arizona: An applicant who has never held an Arizona permit or driver license must pass both the motorcycle and the standard vehicle knowledge tests to get the permit. A permit holder may carry no passenger, may not ride on a freeway or interstate, may not ride between sunset and sunrise, and may not ride when visibility is under 500 feet. The six-month holding period applies only to an applicant under 18; an applicant who is 18 or older when applying for the Class M license or endorsement is not required to have held the permit for any minimum period first.
• Arkansas: Issued by the Division of Arkansas State Police after the applicant passes the written examination; a passing score is itself valid for 24 months. The permit lets the holder drive when accompanied by a licensed driver at least 21 years old occupying the seat beside them, 'except in the event that the permittee is operating a motorcycle', so the usual accompanied-riding structure does not carry over unmodified to a motorcycle permittee. No fee for this permit is published by DFA; ASP, which issues it, administers and prices it directly.
• California: Applicants aged 15½ to 21 must complete a CHP-approved California Motorcyclist Safety Program course and present a Certificate of Completion of Motorcycle Training (DL 389) before the permit is issued. Applicants aged 15½ to 17½ must also hold a certificate of completion of driver education and driver training. Riders 21 and older do not need a permit before applying for the licence. The application and its fee are valid for 12 months.
• Colorado: A motorcycle instruction permit costs $20 and is issued to an applicant 16 or older; it expires three years after issuance. A permit holder under 18 must ride under the immediate, close-proximity supervision of a licensed motorcycle rider 21 or older and, under current Department of Revenue guidance, must purchase and hold the permit for 12 months before the motorcycle endorsement can be added. An applicant 18 or older is not subject to that 12-month hold and may test as soon as they are prepared.
• Connecticut: Issued after passing the motorcycle knowledge and vision test at a DMV office; the novice motorcycle safety course is not required to obtain the permit itself. An applicant under 18 must present a notarized Certificate of Parental Consent (Form 2-D). A permit holder may ride only in Connecticut, only in daylight, may not carry a passenger, may not ride on a limited-access highway, and must wear vision-protecting equipment and protective headgear meeting the specifications of Connecticut General Statutes § 14-289g regardless of age. The permit may be renewed once, for a further 60 days, within the same calendar year it was issued.
• Delaware: Issued after passing the motorcycle knowledge examination; valid for six months and may be extended once for a further six months on payment of a $5 extension fee, applied for before the existing permit expires. A permit holder may not carry a passenger, may ride only between sunrise and sunset, may not ride on the federal interstate system, and must wear an approved safety helmet and eye protection at all times. A permit must be held at least 10 days before the road skills test may be taken.
• District of Columbia: DC DMV eliminated the Motorcycle Learner Permit in 2015 along with its own Motorcycle Demonstration Skills test. There is no permit stage: a resident instead passes the DC DMV Motorcycle Knowledge Test and separately completes a motorcycle demonstration course accepted from any US jurisdiction before the endorsement itself is added.
• Florida: Florida has no motorcycle instruction permit. A rider who wants a restricted 'Motorcycle Only' licence rather than an endorsement on an existing Class E licence must be at least 16, and if under 18 must first hold the general Class E Learner's Licence for one year with no traffic convictions. A rider 18 or older need only hold a Learner's Licence, with no minimum holding period stated. Every first-time applicant of any age must separately complete the Basic RiderCourse before the endorsement or the Motorcycle Only licence can be issued.
• Georgia: An MP is eligible for only one renewal. The Motorcycle Knowledge Exam score attached to it expires after one year; if the Motorcycle Riders Skills Test is not passed within that year, the knowledge exam must be retaken before the skills test can be scheduled again.
• Hawaii: Under Act 66, every applicant for a Class 2 Instruction Permit must complete a state-approved Basic Rider Course before applying, effective for new applications from 24 December 2025. A permit holder may not carry a passenger or ride at night. A permit may be renewed only if a skills test was attempted before it expired; if it expires without an attempted skills test, the holder must wait three months before applying for another. An applicant under 18 combining the motorcycle designation with a driver's licence must hold the permit for 180 days and submit both a Driver Education certificate and a Behind-the-Wheel Motorcycle certificate before the skills test.
• Idaho: The applicant must already hold an Idaho driver's licence and must pass the motorcycle knowledge test before buying the permit. A permit holder may not carry a passenger, may not ride on a highway or freeway, may ride only in daylight, and must wear a helmet if under 18. Meeting the testing requirements and adding the endorsement within one year of the permit being issued waives the $15 one-time endorsement fee.
• Illinois: An applicant 18 or older receives a 12-month permit for a Class L or Class M motorcycle. An applicant aged 16 or 17 receives a 24-month permit, and two kinds are available: one for a motor-driven cycle, and one for a motorcycle other than a motor-driven cycle, which is issued only to an applicant who has already successfully completed a motorcycle training course approved by the Illinois Department of Transportation. Permit riding is limited to daylight hours under the direct supervision of a licensed motorcycle operator who is 21 or older with at least a year of driving experience.
• Indiana: Available to an Indiana resident who already holds a valid Indiana driver's licence, on passing a knowledge test based on the Motorcycle Operator's Manual. An applicant under 18 needs a parent or guardian's signature on an Agreement of Financial Liability. A permit holder may ride only during daylight hours and must wear a DOT-compliant helmet regardless of age, under the permit's own restrictions rather than the state's general helmet law.
• Iowa: An applicant must pass the motorcycle knowledge test and a vision screening before the permit is issued. It is valid for a single four-year term with no renewal. A permit issued together with a driver's license the applicant already holds costs $2 for each year of that license's remaining validity; a permit issued to an applicant who holds no other license or permit costs $14 for the full four-year term. A permit holder under 18 must be accompanied within sight and hearing distance, on or in a different vehicle, by a licensed motorcycle operator who is a parent, guardian, immediate family member 21 or older, an approved driving instructor, or another person 25 or older with the parent or guardian's written permission; a permit holder who already holds an Iowa license or permit valid for a motorcycle or motorized bicycle may ride without an accompanying person.
• Kansas: An applicant must pass the vision and written knowledge tests before the permit is issued; the driving test is not required for a permit. An applicant aged 14 or 15 needs written parental or guardian consent. Uniquely among Kansas's graduated-license classes, the motorcycle permit carries the same riding-companion condition at every age: the permit holder must be accompanied by an adult at least 21 years old who holds a valid Class M license with at least a year of experience and who is riding a motorcycle in the permit holder's general proximity, or riding as its passenger. This condition does not lapse at 17 or 18 the way it does for a Kansas passenger-car instruction permit; it applies under both K.S.A. 8-2,100(c), for an applicant aged 14 to 16, and K.S.A. 8-239, for an applicant 17 or older.
• Kentucky: The permit is issued on passing the motorcycle written knowledge test at a Kentucky State Police testing centre, for a fee of $15 ($18 for a REAL ID transaction). It expires after one year and may be renewed once; if it lapses for more than a year the written test must be retaken. A permit holder may not carry a passenger and must wear a helmet and eye protection regardless of age. Before the skills test, the permit must be held for 30 days by an applicant 21 or older, or 180 days by an applicant under 21. An applicant who instead completes the RideSmartKY Basic Rider Course is not required to hold an instruction permit at all for courses taken after 15 July 2023.
• Louisiana: Louisiana does not issue a motorcycle learner's permit as a separate physical document. An applicant who already holds a Class D or E driver's license passes the motorcycle written knowledge test, after which the record carries a restricted motorcycle status until the applicant either passes the on-cycle skills test or presents a completion card from the state's own Motorcycle Safety, Awareness, and Operator Training Program, which waives both remaining tests. A holder of a valid learner's license under 17 who operates a motorcycle is restricted to within three miles of home, or of wherever a parent, tutor or custodian is temporarily staying.
• Maine: An applicant must be at least 16, must already have completed an approved motorcycle rider education course, and must pass a vision test and a knowledge test specific to motorcycles or mopeds before the permit is issued; the course is a precondition of the permit itself, not something taken afterward. The $35 fee covers both the permit and the first road test. The permit is valid for two years. Unlike a car learner's permit, a motorcycle or moped permit holder is not required to be accompanied by a licensed operator, but the permit does not allow carrying a passenger or riding after sunset or before sunrise. If the holder does not pass the road test within the two-year validity period, the rider education course must be completed again before a new permit will be issued.
• Maryland: Required of every applicant who does not present a valid Motorcycle Safety Program Completion Certificate while adding the Class M to an existing Maryland driver's license. An applicant obtaining a Maryland driver's license for the first time must obtain the permit and pass the skills test regardless of course completion. The knowledge test must be passed before the permit is issued and before any skills test.
• Massachusetts: Any person at least 16 years old may apply for a learner's permit after passing every part of the examination other than the driving test. A permit restricted to motorcycle operation does not entitle the holder to carry a passenger or to operate the motorcycle at any time after sunset or before sunrise, and is valid for two years from issue or until a license is received, whichever comes first. An expired motorcycle permit cannot be renewed unless the holder retakes the non-driving parts of the examination and has taken at least one driving test attempt during the permit's validity; failing the driving test twice requires completing an approved rider training school course before a further attempt may be scheduled.
• Michigan: The applicant must hold a valid Michigan driver's licence, pass a vision test and pass the motorcycle written knowledge test. An applicant aged 16 or 17 must also show proof of enrolment in a motorcycle rider safety training course and needs a parent's signature unless emancipated. On a TIP a rider may not ride at night or carry passengers and must be under the constant visual supervision of a licensed motorcycle operator at least 18 years old. No more than two motorcycle TIPs may be issued in a 10-year period.
• 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.
• Mississippi: A learner's permit issues once the written test is passed. It must be held for one year or until the holder turns 17, whichever occurs first. A permit holder may ride only with a fellow rider at least 21 years old, holding a valid driver's licence with a motorcycle endorsement, following alongside on a motorcycle or behind in a vehicle. A rider may take the riding test the same day the permit is issued.
• Missouri: The instruction permit fee is $10 for an applicant 16 or older; the fee chart separately lists $12.75 for an applicant aged 15½, who may apply earlier under the same permit class. Both figures cover a permit 'valid up to 6 months' — the Department of Revenue's fee chart states the period in months, not in a day count. A duplicate permit costs $10.
• Montana: Issued after the applicant passes the motorcycle knowledge test and a vision examination; valid for one year from the date of issuance and non-renewable. A holder may not carry a passenger and must ride only under the immediate and proximate visual supervision of a motorcycle-endorsed licensed driver at least 18 years old riding a separate motorcycle. If that supervisor instead drives a separate motor vehicle, the learner-license holder must first have completed a motorcycle safety training course through a certified cooperative driver testing program.
• Nebraska: A permit holder operating a motorcycle must be accompanied within visual contact by a licensed motorcycle operator at least 21 years old. The written test is waived for an applicant who holds a learner's, school or provisional permit that is valid or has been expired no more than one year.
• Nevada: A person aged 15½ to under 18 may apply for a motorcycle instruction permit; it is valid for 1 year, may be renewed, and expires when the holder turns 18. A person 18 or older may apply for a motorcycle instruction permit not more than once every 5 years; that permit is valid for 6 months and may be renewed only once. Every instruction-permit holder may ride only between sunrise and sunset, may not carry a passenger, and may not use a controlled-access highway. Failing the motorcycle driving test twice bars issuance of either permit.
• New Hampshire: Issued to a resident 18 or older, or a resident 16 or 17 who has completed an approved driver-education course and holds a valid New Hampshire driver's license. The applicant proves fitness to drive a motorcycle either by passing a written motorcycle knowledge test or by completing the state's motorcycle rider education program; no driving examination is required to obtain the permit itself. The permit allows riding only from sunrise to sunset and carries no passengers. It is valid for 45 days from issuance and may be renewed once for a further 45 days.
• New Jersey: Parent or guardian consent is required for an applicant under 18. The permit holder must complete a mandatory minimum practice-riding period of 20 days, restricted to no earlier than half an hour after sunset and no later than half an hour before sunrise, carries no passengers, and may not use a state toll road or limited-access highway. An applicant without any other driver's license must additionally accrue 6 months of practice riding if under 21, or 3 months without any suspension or postponement if 21 or older, before the road test.
• New Mexico: A general instruction permit, not motorcycle-specific, issued to an applicant at least 15 who passes the knowledge and vision tests; the holder must retain it at least 6 months before advancing to a provisional or full license. A motorcycle instruction-permit holder may not carry a passenger while operating the motorcycle, and the supervising licensed driver must follow the learner rather than ride beside them, as a supervising driver would in a car.
• New York: A resident must hold a Class M or MJ learner permit before a license. The DMV's fee table for a first license or permit begins its Class M/MJ age bands at 16, and a rider under 18 holds a junior Class MJ permit rather than the adult Class M permit. A permit holder must be supervised at all times by a driver 21 or older who holds a valid motorcycle license, and must otherwise obey the general restrictions imposed on every learner permit holder; a Class MJ holder must additionally obey the restrictions that apply to a driver under 18. No published DMV page states a single validity period in days for the motorcycle permit distinct from the general learner permit rules.
• North Carolina: A person at least 16 but under 18 with a full provisional license, or a person 18 or older with any North Carolina license, may obtain a motorcycle learner's permit. To obtain it, an applicant passes a vision test, a road-sign test and a knowledge test; an applicant under 18 must first successfully complete the North Carolina Motorcycle Safety Education Program's Basic Rider Course, or another course approved by the Commissioner consistent with the statewide Motorcycle Safety Instruction Program. The permit expires 12 months after issue and may be renewed once for an additional 6 months. A permit holder may not carry a passenger. The permit fee is the same as the general G.S. 20-7(l) learner's permit fee, $25.50.
• North Dakota: An applicant of any age from 14 up may apply for a motorcycle permit after passing the motorcycle knowledge test ($5 per attempt, one attempt allowed per day). A permit must be held at least two months before the road test may be scheduled. Restrictions vary by age: a permit holder aged 14-15 is limited to daylight driving, to a motorcycle of 510cc or less, must wear a helmet, and may carry no passenger; a permit holder aged 16-17 has the same daylight and no-passenger restrictions and the same helmet requirement but no engine-size limit; a permit holder 18 or older is limited to daylight driving and no passenger, with no engine-size limit and no permit-specific helmet requirement beyond the general age/novice test in statute. A Basic Rider Course completion card from the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, dated within one year, waives the road test at every age.
• Ohio: An applicant must be at least 15 years and 6 months old and pass a motorcycle or motor scooter knowledge test and vision screening before purchasing a TIPIC at a deputy registrar license agency, within 60 days of passing the test. An applicant under 18 needs a parent or guardian to co-sign. The TIPIC is valid for one year from purchase; if it expires the process must be restarted. A TIPIC holder must carry it at all times while riding, may ride only during daylight, may carry no passenger, may not ride on interstates or congested roads, and must wear a helmet and protective eyewear regardless of age.
• Oklahoma: An applicant must be at least 14, pass a Class D written test if they have never held an Oklahoma licence or permit, and have a parent or legal guardian present at the written test if under 18. A permit holder must hold the permit at least 30 days before it converts to a full endorsement. A rider under 16 on a learner permit may ride only between 4:30 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., must wear protective headgear, must be accompanied by and receive instruction from a person at least 21 years old who is properly licensed to operate a motorcycle or motor-driven cycle, and may not ride a machine over 300cc. Service Oklahoma's eligibility summary also lists completion of the Motorcycle Safety Foundation Basics course as a permit requirement at any age, which conflicts with the same page's numbered process for an applicant 18 or older, where the course appears only as an alternative to the written and riding tests.
• Oregon: An applicant must be 16 or older, hold a valid Oregon driver licence, pass the motorcycle endorsement knowledge test and a vision test, and pay the permit fee. A permit holder must ride only in daylight, may not carry a passenger, and must be accompanied by, and under the visual supervision of, a rider on a separate motorcycle who is at least 21 and holds a valid motorcycle endorsement.
• Pennsylvania: A learner's permit lets the holder ride from sunrise to sunset only, alongside a Class M licence holder, and carry no passenger other than an instructor. An applicant under 18 must hold the permit for at least 6 months and log 65 hours of supervised riding — the Beginner Riding Clinic counts for 15 of those 65 hours — before taking the skills test. A permit may be obtained up to three times within five years, to a limit of four permits total, and the motorcycle knowledge test must be passed again each time.
• Rhode Island: Rhode Island no longer issues a motorcycle instruction permit of any kind. A rider must already hold a valid Rhode Island driver's licence, then complete the CCRI-run Basic Rider Course and present the course completion certificate and that licence at any DMV branch to have the M endorsement added directly. No permit fee, validity period or holding period exists to record.
• South Carolina: A permittee may operate a motorcycle alone from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. (8 p.m. during daylight saving time); at any other time the permittee must be accompanied by a motorcycle-licensed driver 21 or older with at least a year of driving experience, within a safe viewing distance. The permit may be renewed for additional 12-month periods, but the SCDMV will not issue a motorcycle permit more than three times, and before each renewal the holder must make a bona fide attempt at the road test. Passing the road test three times without success closes the branch-test route; the applicant must then complete a South Carolina technical college motorcycle safety course, or its equivalent, and pass an exam equivalent to the SCDMV skills test inside that course to receive the licence.
• South Dakota: SDCL § 32-12-11.1 requires a motorcycle instruction permit of an applicant aged 14 to 17 who does not already hold a valid operator's licence, motorcycle operator's licence, restricted minor's permit, motorcycle restricted minor's permit, instruction permit, or motorcycle instruction permit. The applicant must pass every part of the examination except the driving test and pay the fee set by § 32-12-16. The permit is valid one year and must be held at least 275 continuous days (180 days for a permit issued before 1 July 2020) before the holder may apply for a motorcycle restricted minor's permit; a minor who also completes an approved motorcycle safety course under § 32-20-14 and an approved driver education class needs to hold the permit only 180 continuous days. A permit holder may ride from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., must be accompanied by a licensed motorcycle operator at least 18 years old with at least a year of driving experience riding a separate motorcycle alongside, and may not carry a passenger. Nothing in this section requires an applicant who is already 18 or older to hold this permit before applying directly for a motorcycle operator's licence under § 32-12-17.1.
• Tennessee: Issued to a resident of 15 who passes the written, visual and ability skills phases of the motorcycle examination, or who presents a certificate of completion from a state certified motorcycle rider education course in place of the skills test. The permit carries five restrictions: no passengers, daylight hours only, no use of the Interstate system, a 20-mile radius of the rider's home, and a motorcycle of no more than 650cc. On reaching 16, and no later than 90 days after that birthday, the holder must return to a driver examination station and upgrade to a Class M licence to keep the privilege of operating a motorcycle.
• Texas: A restriction-J motorcycle credential limits the holder to practising under the direct supervision of a licensed motorcycle operator who is 21 or older and stays within sight. A holder younger than 16 also carries restriction I, which caps the machine at 250cc or less; both restrictions are removed once the holder passes the DPS skills test, which is available from age 16 for the engine-size cap and is otherwise tied to the same skills test all minors must take. A minor must first complete the classroom phase (32 hours) of a driver education course and obtain a Class C learner licence or unrestricted Class C licence, and then the TDLR-approved motorcycle operator training course, before presenting the course completion certificate (MSB-8) to test for the restricted Class M. Texas does not price this restricted credential separately from the under-18 Class M licence fee shown in fees.other.
• Utah: For the first two months the permit restricts the rider to no passengers, no riding between 10pm and 6am except to or from the rider's residence, place of employment or an agricultural operation or in an emergency, and no riding on highways posted above 60 mph. There are no restrictions for months three through six. A rider under 19 must hold the permit at least two months before the riding skills test unless the Motorcycle Safety Foundation Basic Rider Education course has already been completed; a rider 19 or older may test at any time after the permit issues.
• Vermont: The applicant must already be a licensed Vermont resident and must pass the online Motorcycle Learner's Permit exam; failing it means a one-day wait before retaking it. A 16 or 17 year old holding a Junior Driver's Licence needs a parent or guardian's signature. The permit may be renewed twice, each renewal also valid 120 days, at $24 per renewal. While held, the permit restricts riding to daylight hours, forbids carrying passengers, and is valid in Vermont only; breaking a restriction voids the permit. If the skills test is not passed and the rider training course is not completed within the original permit and two renewals, a new permit cannot be obtained for 12 months from the expiry date, unless the rider completes the Motorcycle Rider Training Course or is only adding a 3-wheeled authorisation to an existing all-motorcycle permit.
• Virginia: A rider must pass a vision screening and the motorcycle knowledge exam to obtain the permit; a rider who does not yet hold any Virginia driver's licence or permit must also pass the two-part driver's licence knowledge exam. While holding the permit, a rider must wear an approved safety helmet and eye and face protection, cannot carry passengers, and must be supervised by a rider at least 21 years old, licensed to operate a motorcycle, riding alert in a separate accompanying motor vehicle. An applicant 18 or older must hold the permit at least 30 days before the road skills test; an applicant under 18 must hold it at least nine months, whether or not a rider training course has been completed. A rider 19 or older who completes a Virginia Rider Training Program course may instead operate a motorcycle for 30 days from the course completion date without ever obtaining a permit, provided the classification is added at DMV within that period.
• Washington: An applicant must hold a valid Washington driver licence and pass the permit knowledge test and permit riding skills test, both administered at an approved motorcycle safety training school rather than a DOL office; an applicant under 18 also needs a parent or guardian's signed consent. The applicant must apply for the permit within 365 days of passing both tests. The permit may be renewed once for a further 180 days, and only one initial permit plus one renewal is allowed within any 5-year period. While riding on the permit, a rider may not carry passengers or ride during the hours of darkness. On the driver's licence, the permit appears as an O-Endorsement with a J-Restriction.
• West Virginia: An applicant under 18 must already hold a Level Two intermediate driver's license or a Class E license before applying. The permit entitles the holder to ride during daylight hours only, without a passenger, and is not renewable — a lapsed applicant must apply for a new permit rather than extend the old one. The DMV allows a road test appointment once the permit has been held seven days.
• Wisconsin: An applicant under 18 must first complete Class D driver's education classroom and behind-the-wheel training and must show proof of enrolment — not completion — in an approved Basic RiderCourse before the permit is issued; a Class D license is not required to hold the Class M permit. The permit may be renewed twice, six months at a time, in person at a DMV service center; a third renewal requires proof of enrolment in a rider course. There is no minimum holding period before attempting the Class M road test. A permit holder of any age must wear an approved helmet and eye protection, and after dark must be accompanied, though not necessarily as a passenger, by a person at least 25 years old with two years' licensed motorcycle experience.
• Wyoming: W.S. 31-7-110(b) issues a motorcycle instruction permit good for 90 days, without a passenger, to an applicant of at least 15 who passes the written examination and a visual-acuity check. An applicant who also passes the driving test instead receives a permit valid for one year (365 days), still without a passenger. A permit holder under 17 is subject to the same restricted operating hours as an intermediate licence holder (broadly 5:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., with exceptions for work, school and medical need). At 16, a rider who has logged at least 50 hours of practice, including 10 at night, may move to an intermediate motorcycle permit, which still forbids carrying a passenger.

Once you have your permit, see whether a safety course is required or can waive a test, or see what the knowledge test covers.