State service guide

Alaska teen license: provisional restrictions, 40-hour certification, and the six-month step to unrestricted driving

Alaska's teen license is a provisional license, not an unrestricted first Class D card. The state makes the real threshold broader than a road-test appointment: a 16- or 17-year-old needs a learner's permit held for at least six months, a clean recent record, parental consent, a road-test pass, and a parent, guardian, or employer certification of 40 driving hours including 10 hours in progressively challenging conditions such as bad weather or nighttime driving. After issuance, Alaska keeps two core provisional restrictions in place, limiting young passengers and 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. driving, and the teen usually needs another six conviction-free months before removing those restrictions early.

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License stage Alaska's normal first solo-driving credential under 18 is a provisional license
Eligibility floor Age 16 or 17 with a learner's permit held at least 6 months and no recent violations, suspension, or revocation
Practice certification 40 total driving hours, including 10 hours in progressively challenging conditions such as inclement weather and nighttime driving
Restriction removal Usually after 6 more conviction-free months with no illegal alcohol or drug use, or automatically once the driver reaches 18

Overview

What this page helps you verify

A strong Alaska teen-license page should frame the process as two separate under-18 stages: first earning the provisional license, then either keeping it clean long enough to remove the restrictions or simply aging out of them at 18. Alaska's official guidance is more specific than a generic teen page because it combines a six-month permit hold, a six-month clean-record screen before issuance, a 40-hour driving certification with challenging-condition practice, and a second six-month clean period before early removal of the provisional restrictions. The post-license rules are also easy to flatten incorrectly because Alaska's passenger and nighttime restrictions have broad exceptions, and the state treats off-highway licenses differently from ordinary provisional licenses.

Last reviewed: 2026-05-17. This page was manually upgraded against service-specific official sources, but requirements can still change quickly.

Usually needed

Documents and information to prepare

  • A valid Alaska instruction permit held for at least six months, or an Alaska permit that reflects enough combined permit time if the teen converted an out-of-state permit
  • A completed Alaska Driver License, Permit, or Identification Card application on Form D1
  • Completed parental consent on Form 433, with proof of relationship documents such as a birth certificate, adoption documents, or guardianship documents, or a notarized consent form if the parent is not present
  • Identity, Alaska residence, and Social Security documents that satisfy Alaska's standard first-license requirements
  • For the road test, the permit, any required corrective lenses or mirrors, and a vehicle with current registration and proof of insurance
  • If applying to remove provisional restrictions before age 18, fresh parental consent for the replacement license

Typical flow

What the process often looks like

  1. Start with the Alaska instruction permit at 14 or later, and keep it valid while building the supervised experience needed for the teen-license stage.
  2. Hold the permit for at least six months, avoid traffic convictions, suspension, or revocation during the six months before applying, and complete the 40 certified driving hours including 10 hours in progressively challenging conditions.
  3. Pass the non-commercial road test through DMV or an authorized business partner, then finish issuance of the provisional license in person with Form D1, parental consent, and the required identity and residence documents.
  4. Treat the provisional license as restricted immediately by following Alaska's passenger and 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. limits unless one of the published exceptions applies.
  5. After six more clean months, decide whether to remove the restrictions early with a new license transaction, or keep the provisional card until the restrictions age off at 18.

Eligibility gate

Alaska's teen license is a provisional license built on permit time, a clean record, and a road test

The official Alaska path is broader than simply turning 16 and passing a drive test.

  • Alaska's provisional-license page says the applicant must be at least 16 years old.
  • The teen must have held a learner's permit for a minimum of six months.
  • The applicant cannot have been convicted of a traffic violation or had a suspension or revocation in the previous six months from the date of application.
  • Alaska requires the teen to complete and pass a non-commercial road test before the provisional card is issued.
  • Parental consent is required on every driving credential application for anyone under age 18.

Practice and test day

Alaska's teen-license threshold includes certified practice hours, not just a permit hold

This is one of the main state-specific details a generic benchmark can miss.

  • Alaska's driver manual says that before a first provisional license is issued, a parent, legal guardian, or employer must certify at least 40 hours of driving experience.
  • The manual and parental-consent form both add that at least 10 of those hours must be in progressively challenging conditions such as inclement weather and nighttime driving.
  • For the road test, Alaska says an under-18 applicant must bring a valid permit that has been held for at least six months with no violations in the last six months.
  • Alaska's road-test guidance adds an important transfer edge case: if the teen held an out-of-state permit and converted it to an Alaska permit, the full prior permit time counts toward the six-month requirement.
  • Road tests can be scheduled with DMV or through an authorized business partner, but the test vehicle still needs current registration and proof of insurance.

Restrictions

Alaska's provisional rules limit both passengers and overnight driving right after issuance

These are the core teen-license rules once the teen starts driving alone.

  • Alaska says a provisional driver may not carry passengers under age 21, except siblings.
  • The driver may not operate a motor vehicle between 1:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m.
  • Those restrictions have broad exceptions: the teen may drive during those hours if accompanied by a parent, legal guardian, or licensed person at least 21 who can drive that class of vehicle, or if driving to or from work or within the scope of employment by the most direct route.
  • Violating the provisional restrictions is an infraction that Alaska says carries a $200 penalty and a two-point violation on the driving history.

Graduating out

Alaska separates getting the provisional license from removing its restrictions

This second six-month period is the main nuance many summaries skip.

  • Alaska's driver manual says the driver may not graduate beyond the provisional stage for at least six months after issuance.
  • To remove the provisional restrictions early, the manual says the driver must complete six months of conviction-free driving with no convictions for illegal use of alcohol or drugs.
  • For drivers still under 18, Alaska requires new parental consent before issuing the replacement license without provisional restrictions.
  • Alaska's parental-consent form adds that when the driver reaches age 18, the provisional restrictions no longer apply and obtaining a regular license is optional.
  • The driver manual and consent form also note an important off-highway exception: the passenger and curfew restrictions do not apply to a license carrying the off-highway restriction.

Accuracy notes

Where people get tripped up

  • Alaska teen-license content should call the first under-18 solo credential a provisional license rather than implying a teen receives an unrestricted Class D license at 16.
  • The six-month permit hold is only part of the gate; Alaska also uses a six-month no-violation screen before provisional issuance and a 40-hour practice certification with 10 challenging-condition hours.
  • Alaska has a second six-month clean-driving period for early removal of provisional restrictions, so the page should distinguish qualifying for the provisional license from graduating out of it.
  • The out-of-state-permit carryover rule and the off-highway exception are real Alaska edge cases that many teen-license summaries would miss.

FAQ

Common questions

  • Is an Alaska teen's first license a full unrestricted Class D license?

    No. Alaska's standard first solo-driving credential for a 16- or 17-year-old is a provisional license with passenger and nighttime restrictions.

  • How many supervised driving hours does Alaska require before a teen can get licensed?

    Alaska's driver manual requires certification of at least 40 total driving hours, including 10 hours in progressively challenging conditions such as inclement weather and nighttime driving.

  • Does time on an out-of-state permit count toward Alaska's six-month teen requirement?

    Yes, if the teen converted that permit to an Alaska permit. Alaska's road-test guidance says the entire time held on the out-of-state permit counts toward the six-month requirement.

  • Do Alaska teens have to get a new regular license before the provisional restrictions end?

    Not always. Alaska's parental-consent form says the restrictions no longer apply when the driver reaches 18, and obtaining a regular license is optional. Before then, a teen who stays clean for six months may remove the restrictions early through a new license transaction.

Sources

Official references used for this page

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