How to Get a Work Permit in Maine
Maine law prohibits minors under the age of 16 from working unless that person has a valid work permit. Minors wishing to have a work permit must follow specific rules. They cannot have more than one active work permit during the school year; no more than two active permits during the summer. Permits are required no matter who the minor intends to work for; this means that even if the minor will be working for his or her parents, a permit is still needed. Getting a permit requires proof of age.
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Instructions
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Bring proof of your age to the superintendent of your school. Proof of age could be a certified copy of your birth certificate, a passport, or a state-issued identification card. Bring two copies of this proof (your superintendent will need to attach proof with the work permit as described in Step 3).
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Be free of "disqualifiers." In Maine, you cannot obtain a work permit if you are not enrolled in school, if you are habitually truant, if you are failing a majority of your classes, or if you are under suspension.
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3
Ask the superintendent of your school for a work permit. Provided that you have proven your age and you are free from any of the disqualifiers listed in Step 2, the superintendent will fill out three work permit forms and mail them to the Maine Department of Labor. The Department will then review these documents and will validate the forms.
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Wait at least one week and return to your superintendent to receive your work permit. Once validated, the Department of Labor will keep one permit for its records and will send the other two permits to the superintendent. The superintendent will keep one for the school records and give you one to give to your employer. This process tends to take at least one week.
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Give the permit to your employer. You cannot legally work until you provide your employer with this permit.
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Repeat this process if you change jobs or take on another job. Remember that you can only have one active permit on file during the school year and two during summer. However, if you change jobs, you must complete this process again; new employment requires a new work permit.
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References
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