Kansas Learner's Permit Fees 2026: $10 Permit, $3 Exam and Retest Costs

A Kansas Instruction Permit costs $10.00 total ($2.00 credential fee + $8.00 photo fee).

How Much Does a Kansas Learner's Permit Actually Cost in 2026?

A Kansas Instruction Permit costs $10.00 total ($2.00 credential fee + $8.00 photo fee). The $3.00 knowledge test fee is paid separately at time of testing.

Kansas Permit and Examination Fee Breakdown

Is the $3 Kansas examination fee included in the $10 permit fee?

No. The $10 credential cost is the $2 instruction-permit fee plus the $8 photo fee. The $3 examination fee is separate when an examination is required.

Do you still pay the $3 exam fee if driver's education replaces the test?

No. When an accepted driver's-education form replaces the required test, Kansas does not charge the testing fee. The $10 permit credential fee still applies.

Is the Kansas instruction-permit fee different for older applicants? The base Class C instruction-permit credential fee is $10. Age can change the licensing path, but it does not create a different basic permit fee.

Possible Extra Costs Beyond the $10 Permit Fee

Beyond the $10.00 permit credential fee, testing and transaction costs can apply.

• In-office reexamination: A failed written or driving examination can be retaken for a $1.50 reexamination fee. The official KnowToDrive online exam is separate and currently charges $6.50 per attempt.
• Credit/Debit Card Convenience Fee: A ~2.5% surcharge applies at state and many county offices.
• Reexamination After Six Months: If required examinations are not completed within the applicable six-month period and additional testing is needed, a $3.00 reexamination fee applies.
• County Facility Fees: Some county offices, like in Sedgwick County, may add a small processing fee.

Passport photos are not a hidden cost; the $8.00 photo fee covers the digital picture taken at the office. Notarization is not typically required for standard permit documents in Kansas.

Total Cost If You Fail the Knowledge Test

The realistic total cost depends on your test attempts.

• Pass on First Try: $13.00 when the $3.00 initial examination fee applies.
• Fail Once, Pass on Second Try: $13.00 + $1.50 = $14.50.
• Fail Twice, Pass on Third Try: $13.00 + $1.50 + $1.50 = $16.00.

If you fail the written or driving examination four times within a six-month period, Kansas requires a six-month wait from the most recent failed examination before more testing. Kansas does not say that every credential fee must be paid again; after the applicable six-month examination period, a $3 reexamination application fee applies instead of the $1.50 reexam fee.

Visit the Kansas learner's permit guide for step-by-step rules.

Full Kansas permit rules are at the Kansas learner's permit guide.

Payment methods, check-payee rules, and card convenience fees vary by office. Use the dedicated Payment Methods page for those details.

Where to Find Kansas Permit Payment Methods

This page focuses on what the permit and examinations cost. For cash, check, card, office-specific convenience fees, and payment-method limits, use the dedicated Payment Methods page. State permit charges are separate from any private-school payment plan.

Where Other Fee and Waiver Questions Belong

For DCF or other assistance-program questions, use the dedicated Fee Waivers page. Driver-ed testing exceptions are handled in the earlier exam-fee section, while replacement, name-change, address-change, and correction charges are separate transactions covered on their own pages.

Is there a separate fee for the Kansas vision screening?

Kansas fee schedules do not list a separate vision-screening charge. The permit, photo and applicable examination charges are the main state fees for this transaction.