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Mississippi driving lesson · Getting Your License

Applying: documents & signatures

A 4-minute lesson from the Mississippi course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.

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Read time
4 minutes
Course unit
Getting Your License
Checkpoint questions
6
Source pages
16

Your application must be complete, signed and backed by documents proving who you are and where you live. If you're a minor, an adult signs too, and that person takes on legal responsibility for your driving.

The application form must contain:

  • Your full name, date of birth, home address and social security number
  • A physical description and a brief history of your physical and mental condition
  • Information about your driving experience and record
Handbook p. 16 ↗

Two proofs of identification are required:

  • Social security card (if you no longer have it, you must get a new one)
  • Certified birth certificate
  • If you hold another state's license: also that license or a lost license affidavit
Handbook p. 16 ↗

Know the rule

If you're 18 or older applying for an original license, show TWO documents proving you live in Mississippi. If you're under 21, you may use documents for your parent's residence.

Handbook p. 16 ↗

Know the rule

Each proof of residency must show a physical address. Post office box numbers are not accepted.

Handbook p. 16 ↗

Acceptable proofs of residency include:

  • Electric bill, water bill or bank statement (no blank checks)
  • Lease or rent agreement, or mortgage papers
  • Notarized letter from your employer with your address and the employer's phone number
  • Mississippi driver's license of a parent or guardian (if you're under 21)
Handbook p. 16 ↗

Know the rule

You must sign your application. A false statement on it can get your driving privileges suspended.

Handbook p. 16 ↗

If you're under 17, your application is signed by:

  • Both parents, if both are living and both have legal custody of you
  • Otherwise, your legal guardian or your employer
  • With no custodial parent, guardian or employer: a responsible adult willing to assume the legal obligations
Handbook p. 16 ↗

Know the rule

Whoever signs your application is liable for your negligence or willful misconduct, and their signature must be NOTARIZED. They may later file a verified written request to cancel your license or permit.

Handbook p. 16 ↗

Know the rule

Under 18, you must prove school enrollment with a Certification of Attendance from your school. Home-schooled students get a blank form from the DPS website, signed by their parents. Married applicants under 18 may show a marriage license instead.

Handbook p. 16 ↗
30 days

Maximum age of your Certification of Attendance form

Handbook p. 16 ↗

Know the rule

Beginning July 1, 2027, you must provide signed documentation of completing a Driver's Education and Training Program certified by the State Board of Education or the Department of Public Safety.

Handbook p. 16 ↗

Put it into practice

You're 16 and home-schooled. Print a blank Certification of Attendance from the DPS website, have your parents sign it, and turn it in within 30 days. Bring your social security card and certified birth certificate. If both parents are living with legal custody, both sign your application, and their signatures must be notarized.

Check your understanding

Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.

A Certification of Attendance submitted with a license application must be no older than:
  1. 6 months
  2. 90 days
  3. 30 days
  4. 60 days

Answer: 30 days

The Certification of Attendance form must not be over thirty days old.

Handbook p. 16 ↗
An 18-year-old first-time applicant needs proof of residency. Which of these is NOT acceptable?
  1. A notarized letter from an employer stating the applicant's address
  2. An electric bill with a physical address
  3. A signed lease or rent agreement
  4. A post office box statement

Answer: A post office box statement

Proofs of residency must show a physical address; post office box numbers are not accepted.

Handbook p. 16 ↗
What two documents serve as proof of identification when applying for a Mississippi license?
  1. School ID and lease agreement
  2. Passport and vehicle title
  3. Voter registration card and utility bill
  4. Social Security card and certified birth certificate

Answer: Social Security card and certified birth certificate

Two proofs of identification are required: a Social Security card and a certified birth certificate.

Handbook p. 16 ↗
An applicant under 17 has no custodial parent, legal guardian, or employer. Who must sign the application?
  1. A responsible adult willing to assume the legal obligations
  2. No one; the application cannot be processed
  3. A notary public acting independently
  4. Any relative over the age of 21

Answer: A responsible adult willing to assume the legal obligations

If there is no custodial parent, guardian, or employer available, a responsible adult willing to assume the obligations may sign.

Handbook p. 16 ↗
What is required of the person who signs a minor's license application?
  1. Their signature must be notarized
  2. They must ride with the minor for one year
  3. They must hold a Mississippi CDL
  4. They must be at least 25 years old

Answer: Their signature must be notarized

Whoever signs your application is liable for your negligence or willful misconduct and must have their signature notarized.

Handbook p. 16 ↗
If you are under 18 and married, you may show a marriage license instead of a School Certification of Attendance.
  1. True
  2. False

Answer: True

Married applicants under eighteen may substitute a marriage license for the school attendance certification.

Handbook p. 16 ↗
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