Do you have to take driver’s ed in Illinois to get a license at 18 or older?
If you or your child are applying for an Illinois driver’s license for the first time at 18 years or older, you may want to double-check the requirements before heading to a Department of Motor Vehicles facility.
The Office of the Illinois Secretary of State administers driver’s license and vehicle registration programs in the Land of Lincoln, and Illinois uses a graduated driver’s license system.
While you don’t need one to drive, U.S. residents will soon need a REAL ID or passport to fly domestically. The secretary of state’s website says its facilities “have been overwhelmed with requests for Real IDs” ahead of the Wednesday, May 7 enforcement date.
Digital driver’s licenses and state identification cards are in the works for Illinois residents, and state officials hope to launch the program by the end of 2025.
Aspiring drivers as young as 15 can secure an instruction permit if they meet requirements such as passing a vision screening and a written exam. Drivers who are 15, 16 or 17 must also be enrolled in or be within 30 days of beginning an approved driver’s education course.
But do those who are 18 and older need to get a permit and take a driver’s education course before getting a driver’s license in Illinois? Here’s what to know.
How to get an Illinois driver’s license at 18 or older
If you went through the initial permitting phase before 18 and haven’t received any traffic citations, you’ll have a full driver’s license upon turning 18.
But Illinois residents ages 18 to 20 who haven’t been previously licensed or completed an approved driver education course are required to complete a six-hour Adult Driver Education Course, Illinois Legal Aid Online Executive Director Teri Ross said in an April 16 interview with the News-Democrat.
The course for adult drivers can be completed online or in-person, depending on the instructor’s certification, but it must be taught by a certified provider listed by the state. The adult driver’s course covers a variety of traffic safety topics, but does not include behind-the-wheel training.
“However, you are encouraged to have at least 50 hours of practice behind-the-wheel training, including at least 10 hours of night driving, before obtaining your Illinois driver’s license,” the Illinois Secretary of State’s website says. “As with all applicants, you must still pass the behind the wheel component of the driving test when applying for your license at the Secretary of State drivers facility.”
The Adult Driver Education Course differs from traditional driver’s education in that driver’s education in Illinois schools includes 30 hours of classroom instruction, as well as six hours of behind-the-wheel practice.
Aspiring drivers who are at least 21 years old do not have to take the Adult Driver Education Course in Illinois.
Driver’s license applicants who are 18 do not need to secure an instruction permit before applying for a full driver’s license, but driving with a permit would be the only way to practice for the behind-the-wheel driving test.
The Illinois driving exam grades an applicant’s ability to start the vehicle, back the vehicle, turn, park uphill, park downhill, start uphill, start downhill, control the vehicle, proper lane usage and proper speed usage.
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