Britney Spears: In the Driving Zone

According to the state's Department of Motor Vehicles, the 25-year-old pop star was issued an interim California's driver's license Tuesday, meaning she can drive herself to her next court hearing this afternoon without fear of judicial reprisal.

Obtaining a license, or showing proof that she already had one, was one of the terms set out by Los Angeles Superior Court Commissioner Scott Gordon two weeks ago, something both Spears and Kevin Federline were required to submit to the court by Monday morning.

After it was clear Spears had no intention of making the deadline on either proof of a license or several other terms of his order, Gordon granted Federline temporary custody of sons Sean Preston, 2, and Jayden James, 1.

Spears, however, quickly made amends to obtain a license, showing up at a DMV office Monday afternoon to file the necessary paperwork and returning to the Santa Monica branch the following day to pick up her official card. Or, rather, to have it delivered to her.

Rather than actually exiting her paparazzi-plagued chauffeured car to enter the facility, grab a number and wait in line with the riffraff, a DMV staffer instead made her way out to the idling black Yukon and finalized the licensing with Spears in the backseat.

According to a DMV rep, the signing off was just a formality, albeit one that was a long time coming. Spears passed her written test in April. During her Monday visit, she had her license photo taken and, per state procedure, was fingerprinted. Her official license will come via the mail within the next few weeks.

Her lack of a license, formality or not, became public knowledge last month, when Spears was charged with two misdemeanor counts stemming from a hit-and-run Aug. 6 that was captured on film. One of the singer's charges was for driving without a valid California state license.

According to Spears' attorney Sorrell Trope, her failure to show proof of a valid license was also one of the main reasons Gordon stripped her, temporarily, of physical custody of her children. The other reason, per Trope, was she failed to submit to drug and alcohol testing. It's unclear if she has also made good on that term or, as reported, if she has finally signed off on the judge's order or met with a parenting counselor, other terms that she also failed to complete prior to Monday's deadline.

Whether a licensed Spears will fare better than an unlicensed one in court remains to be seen.

Attorneys for both she and Federline are due back in Los Angeles Superior Court at 1:30 today for yet another custody go-round.

Meanwhile, despite her personal tumult—or, perhaps, because of it—Spears received a much-needed boost to her professional comeback this week, with her new single, "Gimme More," hitting the top spot on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot Digital Songs charts.

Via E!news