Before using a family car to practise after passing the closed-course test, confirm four things: your practice permit, an eligible accompanying instructor, the vehicle and learner signs, and your actual insurance arrangements. This checklist covers the practice-permit stage for a Korean Class 1 or Class 2 ordinary license.
A closed-course pass alone is not a plan for solo practice on public roads. Confirm the permit and legal accompaniment conditions first. Postpone departure until the insurance arrangements for your actual circumstances have been clarified.
A departure decision sheet
On a phone, swipe the table horizontally to read every column.
| Item | Evidence to check | Next action if unclear |
|---|---|---|
| Permit | Issued status, class, vehicle conditions and printed validity | Check your application and issuance record; ask the examination office |
| Accompanying instructor | A license for this vehicle, held for at least two years, without current suspension | Compare the actual license information and arrange an eligible instructor |
| Car and signs | A suitable vehicle and the prescribed practice signs | Check the vehicle and official sign specification |
| Insurance | The insurer's answer about this learner, vehicle and date | The policyholder should ask about the exact circumstances |
| Schedule | Agreed start and finish, scope of practice, and time before the test deadline | Reduce an ambitious route and compare professional training if necessary |
1. Separate passing the test from receiving the permit
Safe Driving lists an application form, ID and a KRW 4,000 issuance fee for a practice permit. Check the appropriate online or office route and confirm that issuance is complete, with validity recorded on the issued document. A pass screen alone does not prove that every issuance step is complete. See the official practice-permit guide and document guide.
A practice permit and an ordinary full license serve different stages. This stage is for practice before obtaining the full license. Check vehicle conditions on the permit as well as accompaniment and signs.
2. Choose an instructor by eligibility, not confidence alone
Article 55 of the Road Traffic Act Enforcement Rule requires practice with a person riding in the same vehicle who has held a license permitting that vehicle for at least two years; someone whose license is currently suspended is excluded. Driving must be for practice, and the prescribed practice signs must identify the vehicle to other drivers.
These are hypothetical eligibility examples, not accounts of personal experience: a capable friend licensed for only one year does not meet the two-year condition. A family member with an older license also needs a currently valid license covering the actual vehicle. Having someone follow in another car does not substitute for riding together.
Confirm the instructor's available dates and times. If suitable guidance or a suitable vehicle is unavailable, compare professional academy training and direct testing before planning road practice.
3. Use the prescribed practice sign
A generic novice-driver sticker is not a substitute for checking the official practice-sign specification in Annex 21. Check its dimensions, colors and placement instructions. If printing, verify scale and physical size. This page's heading or checklist is not a vehicle sign.
Before departure, check visibility and secure attachment with your instructor, following the official placement instructions without obstructing the driver's view. Signs, eligibility and insurance checks are separate tasks.
4. Tell the insurer that this is practice-permit driving
The existence of a family car policy does not settle every detail of this practice session. This guide does not decide eligibility for a particular insurance product or claim. The policyholder can prepare these questions for the insurer:
- How does this contract apply when I drive this car with a practice permit?
- Do my age, the covered-driver scope and the practice date require any change?
- If a change is needed, when does it take effect and where can completion be verified?
- Which cover and exclusions apply, and who should be contacted after an accident?
Have the actual vehicle, driver's age, permit class and planned dates available. Finding a product online and checking the actual contract are different steps. If an answer remains unclear, wait until the contract and any completed change have been clarified and arrange necessary training separately.
5. Put the expiry date beside the practice schedule
Article 81 of the Road Traffic Act gives the permit one year from issuance, ending earlier when the full ordinary license is obtained. The official road-test guide requires passing within validity; after expiry, road-test registration is unavailable and the written and closed-course tests must be retaken.
Keep practice sessions and the actual test date in one note. A booking date is not necessarily a test date. Compare your record with the guide to test dates, validity and retests.
A private preparation note to review together
- Permit issuance, class, vehicle conditions and expiry verified.
- Instructor's vehicle eligibility, two-year holding period and current validity checked.
- Same-vehicle accompaniment and start/finish times agreed.
- Practice signs checked against the official specification.
- Actual driver, vehicle and dates discussed with the insurer; necessary changes and their effective time verified.
- Practice scope and stopping conditions agreed; no phone operation or fatigued practice planned.
- Actual road-test availability checked separately from the deadline.
Keep your completed note privately. This site does not need your license number, vehicle number or insurance documents. Share only the information needed with the instructor.
If documents are lost or conditions change
Ask the examination office about reissue rather than relying on remembered dates. The official document guide distinguishes first online issuance from practice-permit reissue, which is unavailable online. If a class change or expired record is involved, confirm the treatment of your own record before arranging another session.
Written and official sources checked: October 12, 2026. The editorial team compared the official issuance and test guides, Article 81 of the Act, and Article 55 of its Enforcement Rule to prepare this decision sheet. Insurance questions prepare a consultation and do not determine individual cover. No individual test or policy record, or the entire legislation, was audited. This is an independent information site.
