How to Get a Driver’s License in Oklahoma (2024)

Before you can land a driver’s license in Oklahoma and hit the road, you must meet some state requirements.

For starters, anyone under the age of 16 ½ years must possess a driver education completion certificate. Anyone under the age of 18 cannot be on the road unless they have a learner’s permit, which they must hold for a minimum of 6 months.

Learners over 18 hold the same permit for a minimum of 30 days before they can fully transition to less restricted driving. These are but some of the rules that make the roads safer for both learners and experienced drivers.

The state also requires that teens (ages 15 to 18) observe the stipulations under the Graduated Driver’s license (GDL) program. It curbs the number of hours that drivers under the age of 18 can be on the road.

What's in the article hide

1. GDL Privileges and Requirements Chart
2. Applying for a Learner Permit
3. Applying For an Original Driver’s license (For Those Over the Age Of 18)
4. Transferring a Driver’s license from Another State (Over the Age of 18)
5. Oklahoma Department of Safety Forms

GDL Privileges and Requirements Chart

Anyone in the GDL program must adhere to the GDL rules per their applicable driving license and level of driver education. Driver education in Oklahoma points to any of the following:

A commercial driver per the guidelines under sections 801 to 808 of Title 70 under the Oklahoma Statutes, or
A secondary school driver education course offered in line with sections 19-113 to 19-121 under the title, or
A Department of Public Safety-certified course from a private secondary school, or
A parent-taught driver education course with certification from the Department of Public Safety.

Undertaking the driver education course will not guarantee an Oklahoma driver’s license. Instead, the driver must also complete the driver’s license test in a Driver’s license Exam Station. The GDL guidelines are as follows:

Type of License	Driving Privileges	What Requirements Must You Meet If You Have Driver Education?	What Requirements Must You Meet If You Don’t Have Driver Education?
Drivers with no license	Such drivers are only allowed to drive cars when accompanied by certified driver education instructors for the purpose of training.	Such drivers must be at least 15 years old and can only drive cars when receiving instruction from licensed driver education instructors.	N/A
Drivers with a learner’s permit	Such drivers can get on the road only when accompanied by licensed drivers aged 21 and above. They must observe driving hours between 5:00 am and 10:00 pm.	These drivers must be at least 15 ½ years old, enrolled in a driver education course or finished one, and have passed their written driving and vision exams.	These drivers must be at least 16 years old and have passed the written driving exam and the vision exam.
Intermediate license	These drivers can only carry one passenger at a time or people who live in their home. When carrying any passenger, they must be accompanied by a licensed driver aged at least 21. Their driving hours are limited between 5:00 am and 10:00 pm. However, they can drive outside these hours, provided a licensed driver aged at least 21 accompanies them.	These drivers must have held a learner’s permit for at least six months and passed their driving skills exam. They must have also completed at least 50 hours of driving training behind the wheel (10 of which should be in the night) accompanied by a licensed driver aged at least 21 who’s held a license for two or more years. Moreover, they cannot have been convicted of traffic offenses.	These drivers must have held a learner’s permit for at least six months and passed their driving skills exam. They must have also completed at least 50 hours of driving training behind the wheel (10 of which should be in the night) accompanied by a licensed driver aged at least 21 who’s held a license for two or more years. Moreover, they cannot have been convicted of traffic offenses.
Unrestricted License	These drivers can drive whenever they want and can carry whomever they wish.	They must have held an intermediate license for at least six months and should not have any traffic convictions on their driving records, or They must be at least 18 years old and passed all their driving and vision exams.	They must have held an intermediate license for at least six months and should not have any traffic convictions on their driving records, or They must be at least 18 years old and passed all their driving and vision exams

Applying for a Learner Permit

Anyone aged 15 ½ years going up can apply for a learner’s permit, enabling them to get behind the wheel between 5:00 am and 10:00 pm.

Requirements

To get a learner’s permit, you must:

Go through this list to ensure you meet all the state requirements.
Ensure that you have a legal guardian or parent with you if you’re aged 18 years or below.
Provide proof that you have received or are receiving driver education if you are between the ages 15 ½ and 16. This proof can be in the form of a certificate from a public school driver education course, an affidavit attesting to a parent-taught driver education course, etc.

Do you meet the above requirements? You have two application options in this case.

Option 1

The applicant must book an appointment to appear before a driver’s license examiner who will administer a vision and written exam to the applicant. Credit card payments will be processed at the DPS location, following which the applicant will obtain a printed learner’s permit. On the other hand, cash and money order payments will necessitate the applicant to obtain a form from the examiner to facilitate a fee at the tag agency. Use the following lists to process your application:

Option 2

The applicant can also undertake the written test at a Career Tech Testing Center at an additional cost of $25. Please note that the applicant must still book an appointment at a DPS location for a vision test. You can get more information on Career Tech Testing here. Once you get your learner’s permit, you need to hold it for a minimum of 6 months from the date of issue if you are under 18. Applicants aged 18 and above can hold it for a minimum of 30 days before progressing to an original driver’s license.

Applying For an Original Driver’s license (For Those Over the Age Of 18)

Applicants aged 18 and above can move straight to an original driver’s license application once they’ve held a learner’s permit for at least 30 days. Here’s what’s required of you:

You must go through this list and ensure you have all the acceptable documents before making an application.
Ensure that you have valid and current proof of automobile liability insurance if you will undertake a skills test.
You must book an appointment with a driver’s license examiner who will administer vision, written, and skills tests. If you pass the three tests, you will automatically qualify for a driver’s license. Please note that online bookings require that you book your vision and written tests separately from the driving tests. Also, you can choose to undertake your skills test under a designated examiner instead of the DPS at an extra charge. This option applies to applicants who have undergone school (public, private, or parochial) or commercial driver education training. You can also choose to undertake DPS skills tests which not carry any charges. You can book a DPS appointment at any of the locations listed here.

A skills test is only mandatory if you want to obtain an original driver’s license. You have the option to complete the written and vision exams and get a learner’s permit. Once you have practised your driving skills on the road, you can then apply for an original driver’s license after the 30-day-minimum period.

Transferring a Driver’s license from Another State (Over the Age of 18)

If you already hold a driver’s license from another state in the United States, you can skip the written and skills tests. All you need to do is prove that you meet the standards set out by the Department of Public Safety. These include:

Possessing a valid driver’s license that applies to the same type of vehicle you want a license for, or
Having an expired driver’s license whose expiry date is no more than six months the expiry date on the driver’s license, or

Presenting an expired driver’s license that does not pertain to class A, B, or C commercial driver’s licenses or commercial driver’s license permits. If your license checks one out of the two requirements above, you need to:

Book an appointment with a driver’s license examiner at any of these driver exam sites.
Provide proof or primary ID and your social security number. This list spells out the acceptable forms of ID.
Surrender your current driving license. If the last name on your license is different from that on the primary ID, you will need to present documents that explain the name change.

If the documents meet the state requirements, the examiner will administer a vision test. Once you pass this test, you will receive a form to present to the tag agency together with your primary ID and the applicable fee. You can then obtain a printed driver’s license.

Oklahoma Department of Safety Forms

Are you ready to get behind the wheel? Here are some resources you need to download and fill as you embark on this journey: