Driver Licensing

You can follow @SDDriverLicense on Twitter. We update wait times at

Sioux Falls, Rapid City and Aberdeen driver exam stations.

Click here to read Driver License tweets posted to our website.

If you are a Driver Education student in the Sioux Falls area seeking a permit, you must schedule an appointment.

Click here to learn more about scheduling an appointment after completion of a Driver Education course.

Appointment Scheduling

Schedule a Driver License Renewal Appointment for Aberdeen, Rapid City, Sioux Falls, and Watertown exam stations:

• You can schedule an appointment to renew your driver license at the Aberdeen, Rapid City, Sioux Falls, and Watertown exam stations online or by calling 1.800.952.3696 Monday-Friday 8AM-5PM Central Time.
  
  
• Renewal appointment times at the Sioux Falls location have been extended temporarily to 6:45 p.m. Tuesday through Friday each week in an effort to help alleviate inordinate wait times at the Sioux Falls exam station that occur during the busy summer months.
  
  
• Appointments must be scheduled at least two days in advance.
  
  
• Please Note: You are unable to schedule an appointment at the Sioux Falls location on Saturdays. It is first come first served on Saturdays.
  
  
• Using the online system allows you to schedule 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!
  
  
• Please note that to schedule a drive test online, you must have a valid Non-Commercial Class 1 and/or Class 3 Driver License or Instruction Permit.

Schedule a Drive Test Appointment:

• You must schedule a drive test appointment in Aberdeen, Brookings, Elk Point, Huron, Madison, Mitchell, North Sioux City, Parker, Rapid City, Sioux Falls, Vermillion, Watertown, and Yankton.
  
  
• Using the online system allows you to schedule an appointment 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!
  
  
• Appointments must be scheduled at least two days in advance.
  
  
• The online Drive Test Scheduler is available for scheduling drive tests in Aberdeen, Brookings, Elk Point, Huron, Madison, Mitchell, North Sioux City, Parker, Rapid City, Sioux Falls, Vermillion, Watertown, and Yankton.  All other exam stations operate on a first-come, first-served basis.
  
  
• You can schedule a drive test appointment for Aberdeen, Brookings, Elk Point, Huron, Madison, Mitchell, North Sioux City, Parker, Rapid City, Sioux Falls, Vermillion, Watertown, and Yankton by clicking the Schedule Appointment button above.
  
  
• To schedule an appointment by phone, call our Customer Service Center at 1.800.952.3696 Monday-Friday 8AM-5PM Central Time. 

Schedule an Appointment after Passing Driver Education:

• If you have recently passed Driver Education and wish to be issued an Instruction Permit or upgrade to a Restricted Permit or Driver License in Sioux Falls, you must schedule an appointment to do this.
  
  
• If you have recently passed Driver Education and wish to be issued an Instruction Permit or upgrade to a Restricted Permit or Driver License in Aberdeen and Rapid City, you may schedule an appointment to do this.
  
  
• Appointment times can only be scheduled on a date when the exam station is open.  Click here to check various exam station schedules.
  
  
• To schedule an appointment for these locations by telephone, please call our Customer Service Center at 1.800.952.3696 Monday-Friday 8AM-5PM Central Time.

Important Information:
Please arrive fifteen minutes prior to your scheduled appointment. If you are more than five minutes late, you will be asked to reschedule for a later date and time. For a motorcycle drive test, please wear appropriate clothing, shoes, and helmet. The pavement must be dry to conduct a motorcycle drive test. The Drive Test Examiner may cancel a road test when the weather conditions are considered unsafe at a particular road test site.

Please bring your federally compliant driver license/permit along with two proofs of your residential address (and your Driver’s Education Certificate, if applicable). Applicants under the age of 18 will need parental consent. If you have lost your federally compliant driver license or do not have a federally compliant driver license or ID card, please read about the documents needed to obtain a driver license.

If you need assistance or would like to cancel your appointment, please call the Customer Service Center at 1.800.952.3696 Monday-Friday 8 a.m. -5 p.m. Central Time.

Documents Needed to Obtain or Renew Your Driver License or ID Card

Federal requirements have changed the documents required to obtain or renew your South Dakota driver license or identification card. We want to make the process as quick and easy as possible for you.

We understand the changes in requirements can be confusing at first glance. To view the list of documents that you will need to bring to the exam station to apply for or renew a South Dakota driver license or identification card, please click here.

Look over the material on the list, and if you have any questions at all, anything you don't understand, or any documents you aren't sure you can find, please contact the Driver Licensing Program. You may click here to email us (please include your first and last name) or call toll-free 1.800.952.3696 or directly at 605.773.6883.

If you think you will have difficulty obtaining any of the documents before your license expires, please contact us. We can arrange for an extension or a temporary permit while you gather the documents needed to obtain your federally compliant South Dakota driver license. If you find that you simply can't produce one of the required documents, hardship exceptions may be available. We can work with you in those situations. Again, please use the contact information for the Driver Licensing Program if you have any questions or concerns.

The need to show the additional documents is a one-time requirement. That means, once you have your federally compliant driver license or identification card in hand, you will only need that card and two documents showing your current address the next time you renew your driver license or identification card.

Our staff is committed to providing the best service possible, so please don't hesitate to contact us by telephone or email. We will help you in any way we can.