Licensing, insurance and the law
You are 16 and applying for an instruction permit. Your parents share joint custody of you. Who has to sign your application?
- Both parents. Correct answer
- Either parent; one signature covers the application.
- Only the parent you live with most of the time.
Why
For an applicant under 18, the parent or guardian signature does two things at once: it approves the application and it accepts financial responsibility for the minor. When custody is joint, the handbook requires both parents to sign. A single signature from either one is not enough, and neither is the signature of whichever parent the teen lives with most. Signatures come up again later in the process: a minor who renews or replaces a license also needs a parent or guardian to sign that application. And the decision is not permanent, since a parent or guardian can ask DMV to cancel a teen's license by filing a Request for Cancellation or Surrender form.
Where this comes from
California Driver's Handbook, June 2025 edition. The correct answer is Both parents.
- Section 2. Getting an Instruction Permit and Driver's License › Applying For An Instruction Permit, page 3
- Section 4. Changing, Replacing, and Renewing Your Driver's License › Replace or Renew Your Driver's License, page 8
- Section 2. Getting an Instruction Permit and Driver's License › Minor's Restrictions and Exceptions, page 4
The rule behind this one
License, points and insurance in California goes through the whole topic, with the page of the California Driver's Handbook behind every rule.
More on licensing, insurance and the law
- You are under 18 and DMV has just issued your instruction permit. When can you start using it to practice driving?
- Your license was lost, so you got a replacement. A week after the new card arrives, you find the old one. What should you do with it?
- You are driving in the carpool (HOV) lane when a law enforcement officer signals you to pull over. Where should you stop?
- A law enforcement officer stops you for a traffic violation. When must the officer tell you the reason for the stop?