Your 16-Year-Old Wants an AB 60 License: The Steps and the Family Policy

Parents often assume the AB 60 route for a teenager is a different process. It is not. The only AB 60-specific part is the document question — proving identity and California residency without proof of legal presence. Everything else is the ordinary teen path, and it is stricter than the adult one.

The steps, in order

1. Driver education. The DMV's AB 60 page says applicants aged 15 to 17½ must complete a driver education course.
2. The permit application, at 15½ or older, with the documents, the fee, the knowledge test and the vision test. A parent or guardian signs to approve it.
3. Behind-the-wheel training. The handbook says to wait to use the permit until training starts with an instructor who validates it.
4. Six months on the permit (or until 18), with 50 hours of practice, 10 of them at night, alongside a California-licensed driver at least 25 years old.
5. The drive test, at 16 or older, with proof of driver education and training.

The documents

A teen proves identity and residency like any AB 60 applicant. Vehicle Code section 12801.9 lists documents the DMV must accept for those purposes, and one is especially useful for a teenager: an official school transcript that includes the applicant's date of birth, or a sealed foreign school record with a photo from the age it was issued. A valid, unexpired passport or consular ID from the country of citizenship also appears on that list. Check the DMV's current checklist before the appointment.

The parent's signature, and what it means

The handbook says a parent or guardian signs "to approve the application and accept financial responsibility," and that if parents share joint custody, both must sign. That is a real legal commitment, not a formality: the signing parent is taking responsibility for a new driver's actions on the road. Ask the DMV what the signing parent needs to bring.

Practice hours: whose car, whose policy

The practice car's policy is the one that responds if something happens during a lesson. Before the first drive, tell that insurer a permit holder will be practicing in the car. Whether the company adds the teen now or at licensing varies by insurance company. If the teen practices in a relative's car, the owner's policy is involved, and an owner is liable for the negligent driving of anyone using the car with permission (Vehicle Code section 17150).

The provisional year

For the first 12 months, a provisional licensee may not drive between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m., or carry passengers under 20, unless accompanied by a licensed parent or guardian, a licensed driver 25 or older, or a certified instructor, with limited exceptions. Drivers under 18 may not use a phone while driving, even hands-free, except to call emergency services. Points bring their own penalties: two in 12 months means a 30-day restriction.

Adding the teen to the policy

By the date the license is issued, the teen should be a listed driver on the car they will drive. Do not exclude a teenager who will drive the car anyway; an excluded driver has no coverage in that car. Discounts for good grades or driver training exist at some companies and not others, so ask for each by name.

When the license date is close, get a quote with your teen added so the number is not a surprise.