Georgia Drivers Education
If you are a resident of Georgia and are one of the many teens who is considering applying for a driver license, there have been some recent changes in the law that will impact you and that you need to thoroughly understand.
Georgia allows teens to obtain a learners permit at the age of fifteen, under specific terms and conditions that are as follows:
- You must have an original birth certificate, adoption or name change court records, naturalization or immigration cards or a valid passport. All must be original certified documents, copies or uncertified documents will not be accepted.
- You must prove your residency in Georgia and provide valid proof of such residency. You can find out more about residency requirement documents and other documents on the Department of Drivers Services website.
- You must know your social security number as this will be required for you to be issued a learner’s permit.
- You must pass an eye exam as well as a written exam.
- Your parent or legal guardian must sign your application and if they are a legal guardian you must have court certified documents to prove that
- You must have a Certificate of Attendance form signed by your school if you are under the age of eighteen. If you are not enrolled in school you must prove you are enrolled in an approved home schooling or other school program through the Georgia Board of Education.
- If you have an out of state permit or an identification card you must surrender it when you are issued a Georgia Learner’s Permit
- You must have a licensed driver over the age of twenty one in the front seat of the car at all times
- Your permit will be valid for twenty four months.
It is important that you understand that you cannot apply for nor will you be entitled to maintain a permit or a license if you are under the age of eighteen and you withdraw from school, if you have more than ten unexcused absences from school or if you have any school conduct infractions. In addition, traffic citations that are received after you obtain your license will result in your license being suspended.
Once you have held your learner’s permit for a period of not less than one year and one day, the waiting period for obtaining your first driver’s license is over. For those who are sixteen you must be in compliance with Joshua’s Law (complete a drivers education course and have a total of forty hours of supervised driving experience – excluding drivers schooling – of which six must be at night). If you have not completed an approved driver’s education course you will not be able to obtain your driver’s license until you have reached the age of 17.
The same requirements apply for your driver’s license application as for your Learner’s Permit application, and in addition you must also have completed an Alcohol and Drug Awareness Program, and the car that is going to be used for your driving test may not be a rental and must be properly insured, registered and have a valid inspection sticker, valid plates and must pass a safety inspection. Proof of insurance will be required.
To assist you in passing your written tests for both your Learner’s Permit and your Driver’s License it is highly recommended that you review Georgia’s Drivers Manual and you are encouraged to learn more about Joshua’s Law and how it impacts you.
