A driving permit is the everyday name for a document officially called a driving training permit. It is necessary for a future driver in order to legally start practical driving training with an instructor or, in certain cases, with an experienced driver, for example a parent or relative.

It is important to understand: a driving permit is not a driving licence. You may not drive alone with it. It gives the right to learn to drive a vehicle, not to independently participate in road traffic as a fully licensed driver.

In this article, we explain how to obtain a driving permit at CSDD, how much it costs, what documents are required, from what age it can be obtained and who you may learn to drive with.

Briefly about the driving permit

A driving permit, or driving training permit, is a document issued by CSDD that allows you to learn to drive a vehicle of category AM, A1, A2, A, B1, B or C1.

For category B, a driving permit can be obtained from the age of 16. The permit is valid for 3 years. You may not drive alone with a driving permit — learner driving may take place only in the presence of an instructor or a suitable driver with at least 3 years of driving experience.

What is a driving permit?

A driving permit is a driving training permit. This document confirms that a person may learn to drive a vehicle of a specific category in road traffic.

People call this document a driving permit because historically it differed from a regular driving licence and was perceived as “learner rights”. The official name is driving training permit.

A driving permit is required for practical driving — both for driving lessons at a driving school and for individual learner driving with an experienced driver, if this is permitted for the specific category.

Who needs a driving training permit?

A driving training permit is required for a person who wants to learn to drive a vehicle but does not yet have a driving licence of the relevant category.

Most often, a driving permit is needed by category B students who start driving lessons at a driving school or want additional practice with parents, a relative or another experienced driver.

A driving training permit may be required for the following categories:

• AM;
• A1;
• A2;
• A;
• B1;
• B;
• C1.

If a person already has a moped driving licence, in certain cases it may be used instead of a driving training permit to learn to drive a vehicle of category A1, A2, A, B1, B or C1. However, before starting to drive, you must always make sure that you have a valid medical certificate and that all other conditions have been met.

How to obtain a driving permit at CSDD?

A driving permit is issued by CSDD. It can be obtained at CSDD customer service centres where driver qualification services are provided.

To receive a driving training permit, the person must have been assigned a Latvian personal identity number, must have reached the age set for the relevant category and must have a valid health check.

In practice, this means:

• a medical certificate must be obtained;
• you must make sure that the health check is visible in the CSDD system;
• you must go to CSDD with an identity document;
• you must receive the driving training permit.

A driving permit is not a document issued by a driving school. A driving school can help explain the process and prepare for training, but the driving training permit itself is issued by CSDD.

What documents are needed for a driving permit?

To receive a driving training permit, the following are required:

• a passport or eID card;
• a valid health check, or medical certificate;
• the previously issued driving training permit, if one has already been issued and is still valid.

Before going to CSDD, it is recommended to check in e-CSDD whether the medical certificate is valid and registered in the system. If the health check is not valid, the driving training permit cannot be issued.

Does a driving permit require a medical certificate?

Yes. A valid medical certificate, or health check, is required to receive a driving training permit.

The medical certificate confirms that the person’s health condition meets the requirements for driving a vehicle. It is required not only for the driving permit, but also for the further process of obtaining a driving licence.

Therefore, it is recommended to arrange the medical certificate in good time — before the first driving lesson or before going to CSDD to receive the driving training permit.

How much does a driving permit cost?

The CSDD fee for the first issue of a driving training permit, its replacement or issue instead of a stolen or lost one is 12.86 EUR.

The price may change, so before going to CSDD it is recommended to check the latest information on the CSDD website or in e-CSDD.

It should be taken into account that a driving permit is only one of the documents in the driving training process. There may be separate costs for the medical certificate, driving school theory training, driving lessons and CSDD examinations.

From what age can a driving permit be obtained?

The age from which a driving training permit can be obtained depends on the vehicle category:

• for category AM — from the age of 12;
• for categories A1 and B1 — from the age of 14;
• for categories A2, B and C1 — from the age of 16;
• for category A — from the age of 22.

In the case of category B, a driving permit can be obtained from the age of 16. This allows you to start practical driving training before reaching adulthood, but a category B driving licence can be obtained only after reaching the age set by law and passing the examinations.

How long is a driving permit valid?

A driving training permit is valid for 3 years.

If during this time the person does not obtain a driving licence, a new driving training permit must be received after the expiry date. Learner driving may not be continued with a permit that has expired.

If the previous permit is still valid and a new one is issued, the previous permit must be handed over to CSDD.

Where may a driving permit be used?

A driving permit may be used only within the territory of Latvia.

This means that with a driving training permit issued in Latvia, you may not go on learner drives to Lithuania, Estonia or other foreign countries. Even if an experienced driver is sitting next to you, this permit is intended for driving training in Latvia.

Learner driving must be carried out in compliance with the Road Traffic Regulations and other restrictions that apply to the specific place and time.

Who may you learn to drive with?

Learner drives on roads may take place only in the presence of an instructor or trainer.

This may be:

• a certified driving instructor;
• in certain categories — also an experienced driver with at least 3 years of driving experience in the relevant category.

In the case of category B, this means that you may learn to drive not only with a driving school instructor, but also individually with a parent, relative or another experienced driver, if this person has a category B driving licence and at least 3 years of driving experience.

However, individual driving does not replace professional training with an instructor. It is best to learn the basics with an instructor first and only then reinforce the skills during individual drives.

May you drive alone with a driving permit?

No. You may not drive alone with a driving permit.

A driving training permit gives the right to learn to drive a vehicle only in the presence of an instructor or a suitable experienced driver. If a person with a driving permit drives alone, they are in fact driving a vehicle without full driving rights.

Therefore, a driving permit should not be seen as “almost a licence”. It is only a permit to learn.

Driving with parents or relatives

Many future category B drivers want to drive additionally with parents, relatives or friends after receiving a driving permit. This is possible if the person sitting next to them has a driving licence of the relevant category and at least 3 years of driving experience.

Such additional driving can be very valuable because it helps gain more experience on different routes, in different weather conditions and traffic situations.

However, it is also important to understand the risks. If a young person starts driving with someone who is not an instructor, incorrect habits may be taught — inaccurate steering wheel position, insufficient mirror checks, incorrect braking, unsafe direction of gaze or too late assessment of traffic situations.

Therefore, the safest solution is to start driving with an instructor, learn the correct basics and only then use individual drives to reinforce the skills.

Is an M sign required for learner driving?

During learner driving, the vehicle must be properly prepared and marked in accordance with the requirements of the Road Traffic Regulations.

If training takes place in a driving school training car, it is usually already equipped and marked according to the requirements. If learner driving takes place individually with a parent or another experienced driver, before driving you must make sure that the vehicle is properly marked with the learner driving identification sign.

This requirement should not be treated as a formality. The M sign helps other road users understand that a learner driver is behind the wheel.

What may not be done with a driving permit?

With a driving permit, you may not:

• drive alone;
• drive a vehicle without the presence of an instructor or a suitable experienced driver;
• use the permit outside Latvia;
• continue driving if the permit has expired;
• use a driving permit as a full driving licence;
• use a driving permit as a way to bypass the withdrawal of driving rights or a prohibition on obtaining them;
• learn to drive in places or at times where learner driving is prohibited.

A driving permit is intended only for learning. It does not remove responsibility for complying with the Road Traffic Regulations.

Can a municipality restrict learner driving?

Yes. Municipalities may determine roads within their administrative territory where learner drives are prohibited at certain times.

This means that before individual learner driving in a specific city or built-up area, it is recommended to make sure that no special restrictions have been set. This can be especially important during morning and evening traffic jams.

Can a driving permit be obtained without a driving school?

Yes. A driving permit can also be obtained before enrolling in a driving school, because the driving training permit is issued by CSDD.

However, a driving permit alone is not enough to obtain a driving licence. To become a fully licensed driver, you must learn theory and practical driving, as well as pass the CSDD examinations.

The task of a driving school is not to issue a driving permit, but to provide quality training — to help understand the rules, prepare for examinations and learn to participate safely in road traffic.

Does a moped licence replace a driving permit?

If a person already has a moped driving licence, in certain cases it may be used instead of a driving training permit to learn to drive a vehicle of category A1, A2, A, B1, B or C1.

However, before starting to drive, you must make sure that you have a valid medical certificate and no other restrictions. If in doubt, it is safer to check the information with CSDD or the driving school.

Is a driving permit an identity document?

No. A driving permit is not an identity document.

In Latvia, identity documents are a passport and an eID card. A driving training permit confirms only the right to learn to drive a vehicle under the prescribed procedure. It does not replace a passport or eID card in situations where personal identification is required.

What to do if a driving permit is lost?

If the driving training permit has been lost or stolen, you must contact CSDD to receive a new permit.

Until the document has been renewed, learner driving should not be continued, because during learner driving the person must be able to prove that they have the right to learn to drive a vehicle.

What to do if a driving permit has expired?

If the validity period of the driving training permit has expired, the permit is no longer valid. Learner driving may not be continued with it.

To continue training, a new driving training permit must be obtained from CSDD. Before that, you must make sure that you have a valid medical certificate.

Does a driving permit replace withdrawn driving rights?

No. A driving permit cannot be used to replace withdrawn driving rights.

If a person has been deprived of the right to drive vehicles or has been prohibited from obtaining driving rights, a driving training permit is not issued. This document is intended for learning, not for bypassing restrictions.

Is a driving permit needed before the first driving lesson?

Yes. Before starting practical driving training, the student must have the right to learn to drive a vehicle. Usually this means having a driving training permit, or another document that replaces it in the specific case.

Therefore, it is recommended to arrange a driving permit in good time so that driving lessons do not have to be postponed because of documents.

Why is it better to drive with an instructor at first?

The first driving hours are very important because this is when the foundations of a driver are formed — how the steering wheel is held, how the pedals are used, how the driver looks at the road, how mirrors are checked and how the traffic situation is assessed.

If incorrect habits are learned at the beginning, correcting them later may be more difficult, take longer and cost more. Therefore, it is safer to start with a professional instructor who teaches according to a system, rather than simply allows you to “drive around”.

Individual driving with parents or relatives works best when the student already understands the basics and can additionally reinforce skills in real traffic.

A driving permit is the first step, not the goal

A driving permit is the first practical step towards a driving licence. It allows you to start driving training legally and safely — both at a driving school and, in certain cases, additionally individually with an experienced driver.

However, the most important thing is not just to receive the document. The most important thing is to learn correctly from the very first time behind the wheel. The better the basics are learned, the easier it will be later to pass the CSDD examination and the safer it will be to participate in road traffic.

At Presto Driving School, training is designed so that the student understands not only how to pass the examination, but also how to become a safe, independent and responsible driver.