14 Chapter 1 — Your License New Residents Between the Ages of 15 and 18 Years The Provisional Licensee Thinking Of Dropping Out? DMV must revoke the driver license of any person under age 18 when it receives  notice from the proper school authority that the person is no longer eligible  for a Driving Eligibility Certificate. This revocation remains in effect until  the person’s 18th birthday unless a Driving Eligibility Certificate, high school  diploma or GED Certificate is obtained. Driver license applicants less than 18 years old must have a Driving Eligibility  Certificate, high school diploma or its equivalent to be eligible for a North  Carolina driving permit or license. The Driving Eligibility Certificate must be  signed by the applicant’s school administrator who certifies that the applicant is  currently enrolled in school and making progress toward a high school diploma;  or that substantial hardship would be placed on the applicant or the applicant’s  family if he or she does not receive a driver license. The steps in graduated  licensing must still be followed even if the Driving Eligibility Certificate is issued  due to hardship conditions. North Carolina does not issue a hardship driving  permit or license. If you are a new resident moving into North Carolina and are 15 but less than 18  years old and have a learner permit, a restricted license or an unrestricted license,  you should contact your local driver license office to determine which type of  license or learner permit you are eligible to apply for. Drivers under age 18 are provisional licensees. Because these drivers have a much  higher crash rate, special laws apply to them. If you are a driver under age 18: • You must present a certificate showing you have passed an approved driver  education course consisting of at least 30 hours classroom instruction and six  hours behind-the-wheel instruction that meets North Carolina requirements  before you can take the test for a learner permit or license. • The DMV reviews your driving record more closely and may contact you if  you have certain types of traffic convictions or crashes. • It is unlawful for a provisional licensee to drive a motor vehicle after or while  consuming any amount of alcohol or drugs — a conviction of such a violation  will result in a one-year license revocation. • A parent or legal guardian must sign for a minor. • You are not permitted to use a cellphone. • You are not permitted to operate a vehicle while manually entering multiple  letters or text as a means of communicating or read any electronic mail or text message. • Every person occupying a vehicle in motion must have a safety belt properly  fastened when the vehicle is in motion.