Pro tip: Planning a trip across Hawaii's islands requires adeptness in various driving conditions. Solidify your driving abilities with our detailed guides on handling a stick shift and executing parallel parking. Learn the right approach for parking in reverse and performing three-point turns. Proper mirror configuration is essential for safety. Our Online Driving Simulator can provide an immersive practice experience, and for visitors from overseas, be sure to review the international driver's license requirements specific to Hawaii.
The documentation you bring should verify the following:
Use this interactive guide to choose documents if you live in Honolulu or Mauiu counties.
Check the lists of acceptable documents for Hawaii county and for Kauai county.
If you are not a US citizen, your legal presence in the US will be verified with the USCIS. You will be charged a small fee (typically $1.00) for this.
If you are applying for a Limited Purpose license or Limited Purpose instructional permit in any county, select documentation from this Limited Purpose FAQ.
Unless you are married or an emancipated minor, both of your parents with custody should complete and sign the appropriate form in front of a licensing office representative or have it notarized (in Kauai they don't accept notarized forms). You can download forms here for Maui, Honolulu, and Hawaii county residents, parental consent forms for Kauai residents are available only at a licensing office.
The fees charged by the various counties are as follows:
| Hawaii |
Application Fee | $1.00 |
Written Exam | $1.00 |
Instructional Permit | $10.00 |
| Honolulu |
Application Fee | $1.00 |
Written Exam | $2.00 |
Instructional Permit | $5.00 |
| Kauai |
Application Fee | $1.00 |
Written Exam | $2.00 |
Instructional Permit | $10.00 |
| Maui |
Application Fee | $1.00 |
Written Exam | $5.00 |
Instructional Permit | $10.00 |
Pay by cash, check or money order. Credit cards are accepted as well in Honolulu and Maui counties.
Most offices conduct written exams on a walk-in basis, but a few offices conduct written exams only by appointment. Prepare online before you go. If you fail, you will have to wait 7 days before trying the test again.
The provisional (teen) driver's license is the second phase of Hawaii's Graduated Licensing Program. It allows you to drive unsupervised but with restrictions:
Note that you shouldn't get any suspensions during this time.
You may take the course at a local public school or at a state-certified private driving school. Upon completion of the course, you will receive two Certificates of Completion: one for the classroom portion of the course and the other for the behind-the-wheel driving portion of the course. Present both to the Hawaii licensing office.
You will take the road test at a Hawaii Driver Licensing Office. Most offices require you to make an appointment. (An exception is the Hilo office in Hawaii County, which also conducts road tests on a first come, first served basis.) Each county has its own procedure for road test appointments:
Alternatively, you can just contact the licensing office at which you plan to take the road test and make the appointment directly.
For the road test, bring the following:
Note, that you must be accompanied by a licensed driver at least 21 years of age, and provide your own vehicle, complete with license plate, current vehicle inspection decals and certificate, registration, and proof of liability insurance.
The fees charged by the various counties are as follows:
| Hawaii | Honolulu | Kauai | Maui |
Application Fee | $1.00 | $1.00 | $1.00 | $1.00 |
Road Test Fee | $10.00 | $8.00 | $10.00 | $20.00 |
Provisional License (Per Year) | $5.00 | $5.00 | $4.00 | $5.00 |
Pay by cash, check or money order. Credit cards are accepted in Honolulu and Maui counties only.
You will be issued a temporary provisional driver's license. You will receive your plastic provisional license within two to four weeks.
You must hold your provisional license for at least 6 months. If you wish, you may upgrade to a full license after your 17th birthday. However, you must upgrade your provisional license before it expires on your 19th birthday.
| Hawaii |
Application Fee | $1.00 |
One-Year License | $5.00 |
Four-Year License (Ages 24 and Younger) | $20.00 |
| Honolulu |
Application Fee | $1.00 |
One-Year License | N/A |
Four-Year License (Ages 24 and Younger) | $20.00 |
| Kauai |
Application Fee | $1.00 |
One-Year License | N/A |
Four-Year License (Ages 24 and Younger) | $16.00 |
| Maui |
Application Fee | $1.00 |
One-Year License | N/A |
Four-Year License (Ages 24 and Younger) | $20.00 |
Pay by cash, check or money order. Credit cards are accepted in Honolulu and Maui counties only.
The licensing office should mail you your plastic full driver’s license within two to four weeks. According to the general statewide rule for driver's licenses, at your age, your license will most likely be valid for four years.
Note that you must upgrade to the full license before your 19th birthday.
Most DMV offices require you to make an appointment for the road test in advance. (An exception is the Hilo office in Hawaii County, which also conducts road tests on a first come, first served basis.) Each county has its own procedure for road test appointments:
Alternatively, you can just contact the DMV office at which you plan to take the road test and make the appointment directly.
Bring a vehicle. You must be accompanied by a licensed driver who is 21 years of age or older and present his or her valid driver's license to the examiner.
You must also bring:
Your vehicle should have the following:
You will go on a short drive with the examiner and demonstrate your regular driving techniques. You will not be asked to violate any laws or tricked in any way. Just follow your examiner's instructions.
Remember to put on your seat belt and wait for the examiner to buckle up before you start moving.
Check if you complete the following maneuvers correctly as they may cost you a lot of points:
The examiner will let you know if you passed or failed. All your errors will be explained to you. If you fail, you must wait at least a week before retaking the test.
If you hold a valid driver's license from another US state, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or a province of the Dominion of Canada, Hawaii will not require you to transfer your driver's license.
However, if you wish to transfer it to Hawaii before it expires, or the jurisdiction that issued that license requires the transfer, you may do it in person at a Hawaii Driver Licensing Office.
Submit documentation to verify the following:
Use this interactive guide to choose documents if you live in Honolulu or Mauiu counties.
Check the lists of acceptable documents for Hawaii county and for Kauai county.
Pass a written exam.
Most offices conduct written exams on a walk-in basis, but a few offices conduct written exams only by appointment. Prepare online before you go. If you fail, you will have to wait 7 days before trying the test again.
Pay the fees.
| Hawaii | Honolulu | Kauai | Maui |
Written Exam | $1.00 | $2.00 | $2.00 | $5.00 |
Out-of-State Application Fee | $4.00 | $4.00 | $4.00 | $4.00 |
One-Year License | $5.00 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Two-Year License (Ages 72 and Older) | $10.00 | $10.00 | $8.00 | $10.00 |
Four-Year License (Ages 24 and Younger) | $20.00 | $20.00 | $16.00 | $20.00 |
Eight-Year License (Ages 25–71) | $40.00 | $40.00 | $32.00 | $40.00 |
If your out-of-state license is expired, you will have to take a road test as well.
If you hold a driver's license issued by a country other than Canada and you become a new resident of Hawaii, you must transfer your foreign license to a Hawaii driver's license within one year if you wish to keep driving in Hawaii. You won’t have to surrender your foreign license but will have to take a written test and a road test (no road tests for holders of Taiwanese or Korean licenses). If you hold a Canadian driver’s license, check here.
You will need to apply at a Hawaii Driver Licensing Office. Note that not all offices offer the same services. Contact the office you choose to find out if it issues driver's licenses.
Submit required documentation
The documentation you bring should verify the following:
Use this interactive guide to choose documents if you live in Honolulu or Mauiu counties.
Check the lists of acceptable documents for Hawaii county and for Kauai county.
If you are not a US citizen, your legal presence in the US will be verified with the USCIS. You will be charged a small fee (typically $1.00) for this.
If you are applying for a Limited Purpose license or Limited Purpose instructional permit in any county, select documentation from this Limited Purpose FAQ.
Pass a vision test
Pay the fees
| Hawaii | Honolulu | Kauai | Maui |
Written Exam | $1.00 | $2.00 | $2.00 | $5.00 |
Out-of-State Application Fee | $4.00 | $4.00 | $4.00 | $4.00 |
One-Year License | $5.00 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Two-Year License (Ages 72 and Older) | $10.00 | $10.00 | $8.00 | $10.00 |
Four-Year License (Ages 24 and Younger) | $20.00 | $20.00 | $16.00 | $20.00 |
Eight-Year License (Ages 25–71) | $40.00 | $40.00 | $32.00 | $40.00 |
Road Test Fee | $10.00 | $8.00 | $10.00 | $20.00 |
You can pay by cash, check or money order. Credit cards are accepted only in Honolulu and Maui counties.
Most offices conduct written exams on a walk-in basis, but a few offices conduct written exams only by appointment. Prepare online before you go. If you fail, you will have to wait 7 days before trying the test again.
Most offices require you to make an appointment. (An exception is the Hilo office in Hawaii County, which also conducts road tests on a first come, first served basis.) Read more about road tests here.
Skip the road test if you have a valid license issued by Taiwan or Korea.
The licensing office will issue you a temporary Class 3 or Limited Purpose full driver's license. Your plastic Class 3 or plastic Limited Purpose full driver license will arrive within two to four weeks.
