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What to Bring to Your Illinois Driving Exam

Last updated 2026-07-29

The core documents for applicants under 18

Bring your instruction permit, acceptable identification, an Affidavit/Consent for Minor to Drive (if applicable), a Cooperative Driver Testing Certificate (if applicable), and your 50-hour driving log with the proper signature. If you're applying for a REAL ID-compliant license, bring all required identity documents too.

The 50-hour driving log needs a genuine signature attesting the hours actually happened — Illinois provides a standard log template through ilsos.gov or the Parent-Teen Driving Guide specifically so the format is consistent and accepted without question at the exam.

Your vehicle has to meet several requirements

The car you bring for the driving exam must be properly licensed with the required equipment, in the same weight class as your application, properly insured (with proof on hand), and displaying valid front and rear Illinois plates and a current registration sticker. Someone with a valid license or permit has to drive it to the facility.

If the vehicle is registered outside Illinois, it still has to meet that other state's own registration requirements — Illinois doesn't require an out-of-state car to be re-registered locally just for the exam, but it does require proof it's properly registered somewhere.

No children, no pets, and everyone buckles up

Only the examiner rides with you during the exam — children and pets aren't allowed in the vehicle, and they can't be left unattended at the facility either. If you're bringing them along for the trip, you need someone else there to look after them. Both you and the examiner are required to wear safety belts throughout.

This rule exists purely for the examiner's safety and focus during the test — a distracted parent managing a toddler in the back seat, or a loose pet moving around the car, genuinely interferes with an examiner's ability to evaluate your driving fairly.

Your vision has to meet specific standards

You need at least 20/40 visual acuity (with or without corrective lenses) and at least 140 degrees of peripheral vision. Acuity between 20/41 and 20/70 gets you a daylight-only restriction on your license rather than a denial — it's not an automatic fail, just a limitation.

If you wear telescopic lenses specifically, standard vision testing isn't enough — Illinois requires additional, specialized testing before a license can be issued to someone relying on that kind of corrective device.

If you're already noted as driver-ed complete, some of this may not apply

Students who finish an accredited driver education course with a combined grade of A or B, and whose completion is on file with the Secretary of State, may be exempt from the state-administered driving exam entirely through the Cooperative Driver Testing Program — see our driver's-ed guide for how that works.

Even if you're exempt from the driving exam itself through this program, the document and vehicle requirements above still apply when you actually go to pick up your license — the exemption is specifically about skipping the state-administered driving test, not about skipping the paperwork entirely.

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More Illinois Guides

Rules and requirements change — always confirm current details with Illinois SOS before your exam. Check the full guides index or the Illinois cheat sheet and FAQ, or take a free Illinois practice test.