Bond, James Bond. He has a license to kill. But if you're reading this, you're only looking for a license to operate a motor vehicle. Which decidedly is not a license to kill. And we're here to teach you the basics so you don't even kill anyone by accident. 

If you drive on public roads and are 16 years of age or older, you have to have an Illinois driver's license. Period. If you don't need one, then you can stop reading right now.

And this makes sense, right? If it's a "public" road, it means everyone has paid for it with their hard-earned tax dollars. And if it's public, innocent people will be driving on it, walking on it, and biking on it. If you just want to drive up and down your parents' driveway, then hey, you're good. You don't need a license to do that. As long as Mom and Dad are cool with it, rock on.

Exceptions

Military: If you're military personnel driving a United States government vehicle on official business—or in Afghanistan, Iraq, or somewhere where an Illinois driver's license really isn't a big concern—then you don't need an Illinois license, as long as you have a valid license from your home state. Family members of servicemen and women stationed in Illinois are exempt as well, unless that person gains employment off the base.

Students: If you're a nonresident attending college in Illinois, then you don't need an Illinois driver's license. But you'll need a license from your home state, obviously. 

Farm: If you're schlepping Grandpa's cornhusker from the southern end of the farm to the northern end of the farm, and you have to cross a public road, that's actually cool. You don't need a license. But if you go to pick up your date at her house on Cherry Avenue in a loader with the crane thing attached, expect a ticket. And don't expect your date to be too psyched, either.

Off-Road: Snowmobiles, cats, honkers, buggies, jeepers, bleepblops and other off-road vehicles don't require you to have a license if you have to cross a road as long as they're registered (a.k.a. have a license plate and necessary stickers). You can't drive 'em on the roads, but you can cross the road like the chicken, just to get to the other side. You just can't cross freeways in any of these unless you like eating metal at 65 miles per hour.