What a motorcycle endorsement is, who needs one, and how to add it to your New Hampshire driver license.
New Hampshire grants motorcycle privileges as an endorsement added to your regular driver license, not as a separate motorcycle-only license. Once added, your existing New Hampshire license also authorizes you to operate a motorcycle.
To earn the endorsement you must pass the motorcycle knowledge test and demonstrate your riding skill — either by completing an approved Basic Rider Course or by passing the DMV's on-cycle skills test. The minimum age is 16, and applicants under 18 must complete a Basic Rider Class and provide a parental permission form.
| Endorsement | Motorcycle-Only License | |
|---|---|---|
| Who it's for | Drivers who already hold a New Hampshire license | Riders without a regular driver license |
| Added to | Your existing license | Issued as its own license |
| Knowledge test | Motorcycle knowledge test | Motorcycle knowledge test |
| Lets you drive a car | Yes — keeps your car privileges | No — motorcycle only |
The NH DMV's Basic Rider Course is the key shortcut: successfully completing it lets you obtain your motorcycle endorsement without taking the DMV's on-cycle skills test, because the course already evaluates those riding skills.
Courses run April through October at locations around the state and fill quickly. The program also offers an Intermediate Rider Course (for riders who did not pass the BRC skills test or have completed the BRC since 2017) and an Experienced Rider Course. Register at DMV.NH.GOV or 603-227-4025.
The motorcycle endorsement fee is $30, and a motorcycle learner permit also costs $30. If you pay for the permit within a year before applying for the endorsement, the $30 endorsement fee is waived. You may pay by cash, check, or credit card.
The endorsement is part of your driver license, so it renews together with the license — there is no separate motorcycle renewal cycle. New Hampshire does require motorcycles to pass an annual state safety inspection.
Source: Some test details are confirmed by the state agency; the rest reflect the consensus of major rider-education sources. The NH DMV states all knowledge exams require 80%; the 25-question count is third-party consensus. The supplied manual is the generic MSF Motorcycle Operator Manual (17th Edition) with NH covers, so riding content is from the manual and NH-specific legal facts (helmet/eye law, under-21 BAC, endorsement/permit, fees) are from NH RSA 265:120-123 / 265-A:2 and the NH DMV.