What to Bring to the Pennsylvania DMV

Bring originals only. PennDOT will not accept a photocopy of anything on this list, and a laminated Social Security card does not count as an original. For proof of identity and date of birth, bring one of these: A U.S. birth certificate with a raised seal, issued by an authorized government agency, including U.S. territories or Puerto Rico. No other birth document is accepted. A valid U.S. passport. A Certificate of U.S. Citizenship, form N-560. A Certificate of Naturalization, form N-550 or N-570. Bring your Social Security card as well, or an ineligibility letter from the Social Security Administration if you were never issued a number. If you hold an out-of-state driver's license, bring it along with your Social Security card and one of the identity documents above. Every document must show the same name and date of birth. If your name has changed, bring the paperwork that connects the documents to each other, such as a marriage certificate, a court order of name change, or a divorce decree. Without that link PennDOT will turn you away even when each document by itself is valid. Applicants under 18 also bring a completed Parent or Guardian Consent Form (DL-180TD). If your parent, guardian, person in loco parentis, or spouse who is 18 or older cannot come with you, that form has to be signed in front of a notary, and you bring documentation of the relationship if your last names differ.

Source: PennDOT Form DL-180 (7-23), acceptable identification documents: "Birth Certificate with raised seal (U.S. issued by an authorized government agency, including U.S. territories or Puerto Rico.) No other birth documents will be accepted"; "Certificate of U.S. Citizenship (BCIS/INS Form N-560)"; "Certificate of Naturalization (BCIS/INS Form N-550 or N-570)"; "Valid U.S. Passport"; "Social Security Card or SSA ineligibility letter (must be original; card cannot be laminated)". Same form: "All documents must show the same name and date of birth, or an association between the information on the documents. Additional documentation may be required, if a connection between documents cannot be established (e.g. Marriage Certificate, Court Order of name change, Divorce Decree, etc.)" and the out-of-state license note. Consent form requirement from PA Driver's Manual (PUB 95, 4-21), Chapter 1. Residency proofs are held separately in id_required_proof_residency.

Applicants 18 and older must present two proofs of Pennsylvania residency. Accepted documents include: current utility bills (water, gas, electric, cable, etc.); W-2 form; tax records; lease agreements; mortgage documents; or a current weapons permit (U.S. citizens only). Applicants under 18 satisfy residency through the Parent or Guardian Consent Form (DL-180TD) signed by a parent, guardian, person in loco parentis, or spouse who is 18 or older, with notarization required if that person cannot accompany the applicant to the Driver License Center.

Source: Pennsylvania Driver's Manual (PUB 95), Chapter 1: Applying for a Learner's Permit

You must bring your Social Security card to the Driver License Center when applying for a learner's permit. Under Sections 1510(a) and 1609(a)(4) of the Pennsylvania Vehicle Code, PennDOT is required to collect your Social Security number for identification purposes to help minimize driver's license fraud. Your Social Security number is not part of your public driver record and will not appear on your learner's permit or driver's license.

Source: PA Driver Manual (PUB 95, 4-21), verified verbatim in the manual text: "The Department is required by law to obtain your Social Security number, height and eye color under the provisions of Section 1510(a) and/or 1609(a)(4) of the Pennsylvania Vehicle Code. The information will be used as identifying information in an attempt to minimize driver's license fraud."

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Source: Pennsylvania Driver's Manual (PUB 95), Chapter 1: Applying for a Learner's Permit / Pennsylvania Vision Standards

6.00

Source: 75 Pa.C.S. Sec. 1951 sets driver licensing fees. PennDOT Form DL-180: "Permit Fee: Additional permit fee of $6.00 for each class permit requested." Class C (automobile) is $6.00; Class M (motorcycle) is $18.00 including the MSEA fee. The permit fee is never paid on its own: PennDOT collects the 4-year license fee of $39.50 on the same application, so an applicant pays $45.50 out of pocket, which the Driver Licensing Fee Chart (FS-DLF, July 2025) lists as "Initial Permit & 4-Year License $45.50."

Source: No separate knowledge-test fee. PennDOT collects a permit fee plus the license fee on Form DL-180; neither the form nor the Driver Licensing Fee Chart (FS-DLF, July 2025) carries a knowledge-test line item. Statutory authority: 75 Pa.C.S. Sec. 1951.

Source: PennDOT Driver Licensing Fee Chart (FS-DLF, July 2025) carries no road-test line item under Non-Commercial, so PennDOT charges nothing to administer the non-commercial road test. A road test booked through a PA-certified third-party tester is not free: PA Driver's Manual (PUB 95, 4-21), Chapter 1, notes those testers set their own market-driven fee, which PennDOT does not regulate or publish.

39.50

Source: PennDOT Form DL-180 lists the 4-Year Driver's License at $39.50 ($27.50 for age 65 and over on a 2-year license). The license fee is collected with the permit application, so the combined initial permit and 4-year license is $45.50, as shown on the Driver Licensing Fee Chart (FS-DLF, July 2025): "Initial Permit & 4-Year License $45.50."

39.50

Source: PennDOT Driver Licensing Fee Chart (FS-DLF, July 2025): "Renew 4-Year License $39.50"; "Renew 2-Year License (age 65+) $27.50."

43.50

Source: PennDOT Driver Licensing Fee Chart (FS-DLF, July 2025), Identification Cards: "Initial $43.50"; "Renew $44.50"; "Replace $42.50."

No retake fee. The knowledge test carries no PennDOT fee, so a retake costs nothing.

Source: No retake fee. The PennDOT Driver Licensing Fee Chart (FS-DLF, July 2025) lists no knowledge-test or road-test retake fee. PennDOT Online Driver's Manual, Chapter 1 (Testing): a failed knowledge test may be retaken "the following business day"; "You have three chances with each learner's permit to pass the road test before the expiration date of the learner's permit."