IN
Yes, you can take the Indiana permit test in a language other than English. The Indiana BMV offers the knowledge exam in 20 languages at branches with touch screen testing stations. Spanish, Arabic, and Mandarin are among the most popular options.
The Indiana BMV offers the learner's permit knowledge test in 20 languages at branches with touch-screen testing stations. Select your language directly on the kiosk, no advance notice or scheduling needed for any of the 20 standard options.
| Language Group | Languages Available |
|---|---|
| Common and European | English, Spanish, French, German, Polish, Croatian, Serbian, Russian |
| Asian and Middle Eastern | Arabic, Burmese, Chin, Mandarin, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Punjabi, Tagalog, Vietnamese |
| Specialized Formats | American Sign Language (ASL Video), Haitian Creole (Audio), Swahili (Audio) |
Indiana's bilingual test option is separate from the oral exam accommodation, a fact that caught one Evansville applicant off guard. Requesting a bilingual test does not substitute for the oral exam process; the oral exam requires its own ADA form submitted 5 days ahead, handled by a completely different Indiana BMV team. Assuming one covers the other costs you the entire appointment.
Walk in, check in with your documents and $9.00 fee, and select your language on the kiosk screen. Inform staff before sitting if you need audio, they'll provide headphones. For Haitian Creole and Swahili, the test is audio-only by default.
No advance notice is needed for the standard 20 languages. Walk into any BMV branch and select your language on screen.
Audio is available for all 20 languages. Request audio at the counter if you need it for a language other than Haitian Creole or Swahili.
Arrive at the BMV before 10 AM on weekdays. The Evansville East Branch gets slammed after lunch, and you don't want to wait for a testing station with working audio headphones. At busy branches, schedule your knowledge exam online to skip the wait. Check BMV testing hours before your visit.
Yes, but only with a pre-approved BMV interpreter scheduled in advance through the official interpreter request form. Friends, family members, and personal translators are not permitted. Using a phone translation app or dictionary during the exam means automatic failure.
If your language isn't on the BMV's list, you may use an interpreter under strict rules. This requires advance scheduling through the BMV.
At the South Bend BMV, a missing ADA record for an oral exam accommodation was resolved on the spot by a supervisor who verified the original submission by confirmation number, test completed the same afternoon. Keep your ADA confirmation number saved; it unlocks same-day resolution when the system fails to carry records forward.
The passing score is identical in all languages: 28 of 34 on road rules and 14 of 16 on road signs. You can toggle between your selected language and English during the test to clarify confusing phrasing, use this feature if a translated term seems ambiguous.
Test content is identical across all languages. Technical driving terms can vary in translation, so the BMV provides a workaround.
Study using the official Indiana Driver's Manual in your test language. A driver in Merrillville failed the Punjabi test twice because they studied English materials and confused translated terms like "yield" and "right-of-way." Don't make that mistake.
This page owns written knowledge-exam language options. For the driving skills exam, language and communication rules are covered on the dedicated Road Test Language page.
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