State service guide

Kansas teen license: 1-year Kansas permit, 25-to-50 practice hours, and restrictions that can last to 17

Kansas teen licensing is more layered than a generic provisional-license page suggests. The first teen license is a restricted license at age 15, not an unrestricted license. Kansas requires a state-issued instruction permit held for one year, and it does not count out-of-state permits or blue DE-99 permit-slip time toward that clock. A 15-year-old also needs driver education plus 25 supervised hours, while the move into less restricted 16-year-old privileges depends on a 50-hour affidavit with 10 hours at night. After issuance, Kansas still keeps strict driving-purpose, passenger, and wireless-device limits in place until the teen satisfies the next stage or turns 17.

Open official source View Kansas services
First teen license A restricted driver's license at age 15 after a state-issued Kansas permit has been held for 1 year
Practice-hour split Kansas uses 25 supervised hours for the 15-year-old restricted license, then 50 total hours with 10 at night for less restricted 16-year-old driving
Key 16-year-old rule Less restricted privileges generally allow driving from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m., plus listed work, school, religious, and adult-supervised trips
Restriction end point Age-based restrictions come off after 6 months on the restricted license or at age 17 if the teen has met the affidavit and compliance rules

Overview

What this page helps you verify

A strong Kansas teen-license page should not talk as if there is one single teen license. Kansas runs a step system: the restricted driver's license at 15, less restricted privileges at 16, and a non-restricted license at 17. The practical traps are the state-issued-permit rule, the separate 25-hour and 50-hour affidavits, and the fact that restriction removal can happen automatically in the state's computer record without a return office visit.

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 Kansas instruction permit issued by the driver licensing office and held for at least 1 year if the teen is applying under age 17, because out-of-state permits and blue DE-99 permit-slip time do not satisfy that rule
  • Proof of completion of an approved driver education course if the teen is applying for the restricted license at age 15
  • A parent or guardian affidavit showing the supervised driving hours Kansas requires: 25 hours for the 15-year-old restricted license, then an additional affidavit bringing the total to 50 hours with at least 10 at night before less restricted 16-year-old privileges
  • Acceptable proof of identity and the other Kansas credential documents required by DE-56A
  • Payment for the applicable under-21 Kansas license and photo fees

Typical flow

What the process often looks like

  1. Hold a Kansas instruction permit issued by the driver licensing office for at least 1 year before applying for a teen license under age 17, and do not assume an out-of-state permit or a blue DE-99 permit slip counts toward that year.
  2. If the teen is applying at age 15, finish an approved driver education course and complete at least 25 supervised driving hours with the required parent or guardian affidavit.
  3. Before moving into less restricted 16-year-old driving, complete a total of at least 50 supervised hours with 10 at night and file the affidavit Kansas requires.
  4. If the teen is applying at age 16 or 17 instead of 15, be ready for the vision, written, and driving tests unless Kansas accepts the DE-99 completion slip for that step.
  5. After issuance, follow the age-based purpose, passenger, and wireless restrictions carefully and keep the record clean so the restrictions do not stay in place until age 17.

License stages

Kansas teen licensing is a multi-stage system, not one simple jump from permit to full driving

That framing matters because the age-15 and age-16 licenses do not carry the same privileges.

  • Kansas lists a restricted driver's license at age 15, less restricted privileges at age 16, and a non-restricted license at age 17.
  • The restricted-license path at age 15 requires both a state-issued permit held for at least one year and approved driver education.
  • Kansas's graduated chart says applicants age 17 and older can move to a non-restricted license without an instruction-permit requirement, although a 17-year-old still needs the 50-hour affidavit.

Permit and affidavit traps

Kansas is unusually strict about which permit time counts and which practice-hour proof the office will accept

This is where many families misread the process.

  • Kansas's teen FAQ says the required instruction permit must be issued in Kansas and specifically rejects another state's permit as a substitute.
  • The same teen FAQ says the blue DE-99 instruction permit used during driver education is valid only during the course and does not count toward the one-year permit requirement.
  • Kansas requires an affidavit for the first 25 supervised hours, keeps that affidavit, and then requires another affidavit showing the teen reached 50 total hours with at least 10 at night.
  • Kansas says the office does not require a driving log, even though it encourages parents and guardians to keep one.

Driving restrictions

The real Kansas teen-license story is the difference between the 15-year-old restricted card and the 16-year-old less restricted stage

A page that blurs those two sets of rules will mislead teens about what they can legally do.

  • At age 15, the restricted license allows driving to or from work, school attendance, religious activity, or with a licensed adult age 21 or older in the front seat.
  • At age 15, Kansas also bars non-sibling minor passengers and wireless-device use except to report illegal activity or summon emergency help.
  • At age 16, less restricted privileges generally allow driving from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m., plus trips to or from work, authorized school activities, religious activities, and anytime with a licensed adult age 21 or older in the front seat.
  • At age 16, Kansas limits the driver to no more than one non-sibling passenger under age 18 and keeps the same wireless-device exception-only rule.

Automatic removal and delays

Restrictions often disappear in the computer record without a new card, but they can also stay longer than families expect

This is one of the more state-specific Kansas edge cases.

  • Kansas's teen FAQ says it is not necessary to return to a driver licensing office to remove the age restriction when the teen turns 16 or meets the 50-hour requirement because the computer record is updated automatically.
  • If the family wants a fresh card without the restriction printed on it, Kansas says the teen may return for a new card and pay the $8 photo fee.
  • Kansas also says the restrictions continue until age 17 when the 50-hour affidavit is not provided or completed.
  • If the teen is convicted of two or more moving violations on separate occasions before age 16, Kansas says the license remains restricted until age 17.

Accuracy notes

Where people get tripped up

  • Kansas teen-license content should not treat the first teen card as unrestricted driving. The first teen license is the restricted license at age 15, and the rules change again at age 16.
  • The one-year permit clock is tied to a permit issued by the Kansas driver licensing office. Out-of-state permits and blue DE-99 permit-slip time do not satisfy that requirement.
  • Kansas uses affidavits, not a mandatory office log, and the 25-hour first affidavit versus 50-hour total affidavit is easy to collapse incorrectly.
  • Restriction removal is partly automatic in Kansas, but missing the 50-hour affidavit or picking up two separate moving violations before age 16 can keep the teen restricted until age 17.

FAQ

Common questions

  • Can a Kansas teen use an out-of-state permit or the blue DE-99 permit slip to satisfy the one-year permit rule?

    No. Kansas's teen FAQ says the instruction permit must be issued in Kansas, and it also says blue DE-99 permit-slip time from driver education does not count toward the one-year requirement.

  • What does a 15-year-old need before Kansas will issue the restricted license?

    Kansas says a 15-year-old needs a state-issued permit held for at least one year, an approved driver education course, and an affidavit showing at least 25 supervised driving hours.

  • Do I have to go back to the Kansas driver's license office at 16 to remove the teen restriction?

    Usually no. Kansas says the computer record is updated automatically when the criteria are met. A return visit is optional if the teen wants a new card without the restriction, and the teen FAQ says that replacement involves an $8 photo fee.

  • What can keep a Kansas teen license restricted until age 17?

    Kansas says the restrictions remain until age 17 if the 50-hour affidavit is not provided or completed. The teen FAQ also says two or more moving violations on separate occasions before age 16 keep the license restricted until age 17.

Sources

Official references used for this page

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