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Teen applicants younger than 18 must work their way through the Illinois Graduated Driver’s License (GDL) program.

The Illinois Graduated Driver’s License Program

The state’s GDL program is designed to help each teen driver gradually gain and improve his driving skills before obtaining a full IL drivers license, and the program does this by requiring applicants to enroll in drivers education, complete a specific number of driver training hours, and hold a permit for a certain period of time.

As a teen driver, you will have to complete drivers education, and your instructor will provide you with details about the GDL program and how it applies to you. However, we’ve provided an outline below to help give you an idea of what to expect.

15 Years Old: The Permit Phase

Once you turn 15, you can receive your permit as long as you’re enrolled in drivers education, you pass both your vision and written tests, and your parents approve. Just head to your local SOS office (the state agency that handles DMV matters) with the required documents and fees and be ready to show off all that studying.

Your permit comes with restrictions that include rules regarding when you can drive, who can ride with you, and seatbelts (your instructor or examiner will explain these restrictions in detail).

You must hold the permit for nine months and during that time you must complete 50 hours of behind-the-wheel driver training with a licensed parent or other adult who’s at least 21. Make sure 10 of those hours take place at night.

The permit is good for two years, but once you meet the time, age, education, and training requirements, you can apply for your initial license.

16-17 Years Old: The Initial Licensing Phase

After you complete drivers education and the 50 practice hours – and you’re 16 or 17 – you can return to your local SOS office and apply for your driver license. Although you already provided the SOS with documents when you applied for your permit, it’s safest to bring the along on this visit, too, as well as your drivers education completion certificate and your license fee.

If you took part in the state’s Cooperative Driver Testing Program (the program that allows drivers education instructors to administer driving tests), you won’t have to take the road skills exam portion of the drivers license test.

Although the state calls it a “license,” this license is fairly provisional and still carries time, passenger and safety belt restrictions; but, if you respect those restrictions until you turn 18 (i.e., don’t break them within six months leading up turning 18 and don’t get convicted of any traffic citations), you can move on to your full IL drivers license.