Since the implementation of the “Driver’s Licenses for All” law in 2023, the state of Minnesota has seen an increase in the number of driving tests taken by people 21 and older.
According to official figures from the Minnesota Division of Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS), during 2024—the first full calendar year under the new regulation—more than 75,000 adults completed driving tests. This figure contrasts sharply with the 41,000 tests conducted in 2023, before the law took effect.
Minnesota’s License Law Tests All Drivers Equally
The law allows approximately 95,000 undocumented Minnesota residents to obtain a driver’s license. Prior to the law, a portion of these drivers lacked legal authorization to drive. DVS data also indicates that the number of people in their 30s, 40s, and 50s taking driving tests doubled between 2023 and 2024.
Statistics available through September 2025 show that the number of adult driving tests nearly matched the previous year’s totals.
Shortly after the law went into effect, COPAL, a Minneapolis-based organization focused on immigrant rights, began offering orientation sessions for drivers. The organization also allows applicants to take the written exam in Spanish at its offices.
Driver’s License Demand on the Rise in MN
Claudia Lainez, director of the COPAL Workers’ Center, said that “just last month, 800 people came, crammed onto only 16 computers to take the tests.” Demand has remained steady, outside of specific operations like Operation Metro Surge.
According to Lainez’s estimates, one in four people attending COPAL sessions holds a driver’s license issued by another country. Other attendees have licenses from various U.S. states, while a group has no license at all. The process for obtaining a permit requires passing both a written and a driving test. However, adults are only required to complete driver education courses if they fail the driving test four times.
How to Apply for a Driver’s License in Minnesota
If you are an adult in Minnesota and want a license, you start by passing two separate exams. The first one is a written test covering road rules and signs. The second one happens behind the wheel, where an examiner watches how you handle the car.
What makes the process different for adults compared to teenagers is the training requirement. You only need to take formal driver’s education classes if you fail that road test four times. Otherwise, you can study on your own and schedule the exams directly through the state’s Driver and Vehicle Services division.
Some organizations, like COPAL in Minneapolis, help people prepare for the written part only. They even let applicants take that test in Spanish at their offices, which is not something every place offers.
Also, if you already have a license from another country or another U.S. state, you still have to take Minnesota’s tests. There is no automatic transfer. The only break you get is that you do not need to prove you took driving lessons unless you keep failing.
And if you are undocumented, the law now allows you to apply anyway, which was not the case before 2023. But you still go through the same exams as everyone else.
