NH Driver’s License Requirements: Documents, Tests, and Appointments

To get a driver’s license in New Hampshire, you make an appointment at the Division of Motor Vehicles, bring documents proving your identity and residency, pass a vision screening, a written knowledge exam, and a road test, and pay the licensing fee. The New Hampshire driver’s license requirements differ by age and by whether you want a standard card or a REAL ID-compliant card, but every first-time applicant follows that same core sequence.¹

Documents You Need to Bring

New Hampshire issues two versions of the license. A standard card works as a state ID and lets you drive. A REAL ID-compliant card, marked with a star in the upper-right corner, is required as of May 7, 2025 to board a domestic flight or enter a secure federal facility without a passport.² The version you choose changes what you bring to your appointment.

For a Standard License

You need proof of identity plus one document showing your New Hampshire residential address.³ Acceptable identity documents include an original or certified birth certificate, a valid passport, or a valid military ID. For residency, any of the following works: a lease or rental agreement signed by both parties, a current utility bill, a property tax bill for the current year, a mortgage statement, a payroll check or employment document, or a notarized letter from a property owner. Month-to-month leases and utility bills must be dated within the last sixty days.

For a REAL ID

A REAL ID requires more paperwork. You must prove three things: identity, your Social Security number, and New Hampshire residency. For residency, you need two documents showing your physical address rather than one.⁴

Your identity document must reflect your current legal name. If your name has changed since your birth certificate was issued, bring proof of each name change in sequence — marriage certificates, court orders, or similar records connecting your birth name to your current name.²

The Application Form

Every applicant completes Form DSMV 450, the state’s application for a driver’s license or non-driver ID card.⁵ Pick up a copy at any DMV location or download it from the DMV website. The form asks for your full legal name, physical description, Social Security number, mailing address, physical residence, prior license revocations, and any medical conditions that could affect your driving. Filling it out before your appointment shortens your time at the counter.

Tests You Have to Pass

First-time applicants take three tests: a vision screening, a written knowledge exam, and a road skills test. All testing is by appointment.¹

Vision Screening

The DMV conducts a vision test as part of every original license application and every renewal.⁶ Applicants whose vision does not meet the state’s standards may be denied or issued a restricted license.⁷ Bring your glasses or contacts if you wear them.

Knowledge Test

The written exam is a computer-based, multiple-choice test covering traffic laws, road signs, and New Hampshire-specific regulations. Each test has a time limit tied to the number of questions, and the computer ends the test automatically if you run out of time or miss too many answers. You need 80 percent to pass.⁸ The questions are drawn from the New Hampshire Driver’s Manual.

Road Skills Test

The road test puts you behind the wheel with an examiner who evaluates turns, intersections, lane changes, signaling, braking, and your ability to follow traffic laws under normal driving conditions. The vehicle you bring must be registered, insured, and in safe working order, with functional headlights, brake lights, turn signals, horn, mirrors, and windshield wipers, plus properly inflated tires with adequate tread. Both doors must open and close from inside and outside, and the passenger side should be clear of clutter.

Fees

New Hampshire charges different amounts depending on the type of license:⁹

Standard operator license: $50
REAL ID operator license: $60
Motorcycle-only license: $55
First-time motorcycle endorsement: $30
Motorcycle endorsement renewal: $5
Duplicate license or ID: $20
Address change reprint: $10

These amounts apply to both original licenses and renewals.¹⁰ The ten-dollar difference between a standard card and a REAL ID is worth weighing against how often you fly domestically; without a REAL ID, you will need to carry a passport at the airport.

Making an Appointment and Receiving Your Card

The New Hampshire DMV is fully appointment-based. Schedule online through the DMV’s booking portal, call 603-227-4000, or review your options on the DMV’s appointments page.¹ Walk-ins are not accepted, and slots fill up in the summer months, so book early.

Once you pass your tests and pay, the DMV issues a sixty-day temporary paper license on the spot. Your permanent card arrives by mail at your New Hampshire address within that sixty-day window.⁶

If You Are Under Eighteen

Applicants aged sixteen and seventeen cannot simply schedule the tests. New Hampshire law requires completion of an approved driver education program first.¹¹ Programs are offered through public and private secondary schools and licensed driving schools.

An approved course includes at least thirty hours of classroom instruction, ten hours of behind-the-wheel training, and six hours of observation. Up to fifteen of the classroom hours may be completed online. The classroom portion also includes forty-five minutes of motorcycle safety education and forty-five minutes of tractor-trailer safety awareness, both from nationally recognized curricula.¹¹

After the course, you must certify forty additional hours of supervised driving. A licensed parent or guardian supervises those hours, or a licensed adult over twenty-five if no parent or guardian holds a license. At least ten of the forty hours must occur between half an hour after sunset and half an hour before sunrise.¹¹

Youth Operator Restrictions

A driver under eighteen receives a Youth Operator License with these restrictions:¹²

No driving between 1:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m.
For the first six months, no more than one passenger under twenty-five who is not a family member, unless a licensed adult at least twenty-five years old is also in the vehicle.
No more passengers than the vehicle has seatbelts.

Violating these restrictions can result in suspension after a hearing. A first offense brings a minimum twenty-day suspension, a second at least forty-five days, and a third or later offense at least ninety days plus completion of an approved driver improvement program before reinstatement.¹³

Moving to New Hampshire From Another State

If you move to New Hampshire, you have sixty days from the date you establish residency to get a New Hampshire license.¹⁴ Driving on your old state’s license past that window is not legal. Bring the same identity and residency documentation as a first-time applicant, a completed DSMV 450 form, and expect to take a vision test at your appointment.

Drivers under eighteen who want an out-of-state driver education course to count toward New Hampshire’s requirements must contact the Driver Education Office directly to confirm the program qualifies under RSA 263:19.¹⁴ New Hampshire does not honor learner’s permits from other states.

Renewing an Existing License

The DMV mails a renewal notice to the address on file about two months before your license expires.⁶ The notice tells you whether you can renew online or must come in. If you are upgrading from a standard license to REAL ID, you have to appear in person with your DSMV 450 form, your current license, the additional REAL ID documents, and the renewal fee. A vision test is part of every in-person renewal.

Keep your address current with the DMV. A renewal notice sent to an old address is a renewal notice you will not see.

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NH Division of Motor Vehicles. Hours and Locations
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NH Division of Motor Vehicles. REAL ID
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NH Department of Safety. Identity and Residency Requirements
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NH Department of Safety. Identity and Residency Requirements
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Legal Information Institute. New Hampshire Administrative Code Saf-C 1002.01 – Application Form
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NH Division of Motor Vehicles. Renew a Driver License/CDL/Non Driver ID
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New Hampshire General Court. New Hampshire Code Title XXI Chapter 263 Section 263-6
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NH Division of Motor Vehicles. Driver Licensing Testing Requirements
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NH Division of Motor Vehicles. Licensing Fees
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New Hampshire General Court. New Hampshire Code Title XXI Chapter 263 Section 263-42
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New Hampshire General Court. New Hampshire Code Title XXI Chapter 263 Section 263-19
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NH Division of Motor Vehicles. Driver Licensing Requirements for Minors
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NH Division of Motor Vehicles. Youth Operator Restrictions and Violations Under 20
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NH Division of Motor Vehicles. Transfer License/Non Driver ID From Another State