What to Bring to Get Your CDL Permit

Start with your state's list

The federal rules in 49 CFR part 383 set the minimum. Your state licensing agency sets the actual paperwork, the fees, how you book, and whether you need an appointment at all. Many states add their own forms. Before you go, check the state's CDL page or call, and bring more proof than you think you need. Federal regulation does not set test or license fees, so we have not listed amounts. They differ by state, as do retake waiting periods, how far ahead you can book, and whether testing is walk-in. Everything below is the federal baseline. It is not a complete checklist for any one state.

Proof of age, citizenship or residency

49 CFR 383.71(a) requires you to be 18 or older and to provide proof of your age. It also requires proof of U.S. citizenship or lawful permanent residency. Table 1 to 383.71 lists what counts.

• U.S. citizen: a valid, unexpired U.S. passport; a certified copy of a birth certificate filed with a state vital statistics office or equivalent; a Consular Report of Birth Abroad; a Certificate of Naturalization; or a Certificate of Citizenship.
• Lawful permanent resident: a valid, unexpired Permanent Resident Card.
• Applicants who are not citizens or permanent residents may fall under the non-domiciled rules in 383.71(f). Ask your state agency, since those rules are separate.

Proof of residence and your Social Security Number

383.71(a)(6) requires proof that the state you are applying in is your state of domicile. It names a document with your name and residential address in the state, such as a government-issued tax form, as acceptable proof. You must also provide your Social Security Number on the application (383.153(e)(1)). The state verifies your name, date of birth and SSN with the Social Security Administration before issuing the permit, and cannot issue one if the data does not match (383.73(g) and 383.153(g)). The SSN is not printed on the license. You also give the state the names of all states where you have been licensed to drive any type of motor vehicle in the past 10 years (383.71(a)(7)).

Self-certification and the medical card

383.71(a)(9) requires a certification about the type of driving you do or expect to do. Under 383.71(b)(1) there are four: non-excepted interstate, excepted interstate, non-excepted intrastate and excepted intrastate. You also certify you are not disqualified under 49 CFR 383.51 and do not hold a license from more than one state. If you certify non-excepted interstate, you need a medical exam. Under 383.71(h), on or after June 23, 2025 you must be examined and certified under 49 CFR 391.43 by a medical examiner. FMCSA sends the state an electronic copy of the certificate, so the state does not rely on a paper card alone. Before that date, states took an original or copy of the certificate. How your state handles it in practice, and whether you should also carry the paper card, varies. Ask when you apply.

Passing the knowledge test, and training for some endorsements

You must pass a general knowledge test for the vehicle group you expect to drive before you get the permit (383.71(a)(2)). If you want a passenger, school bus or tank endorsement on the permit, you must pass that endorsement knowledge test as well (383.71(a)(8)). Entry-level driver training from a provider on the FMCSA Training Provider Registry is required before the Class A or B skills test, the passenger or school bus skills test, or the hazmat knowledge test, when taken for the first time (383.71(a)(10)). It is not required to take the permit knowledge test itself. The permit is valid for no more than one year from issue (383.25(c)), and you cannot take the CDL skills test in the first 14 days after you get it (383.25(e)). For the hazmat endorsement there is also a separate TSA background check and fee.