Get your first driver's license in Virginia

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A first-time Virginia driver gets a learner's permit at a DMV customer service center after a vision screening and two-part knowledge exam, completes driver education and/or a permit holding period (rules for ages 18 to 20 change on January 1, 2027), and passes a road skills test.

Recent change (Nov 6): New Driver’s License Requirements for Young Adults Take Effect January 1, 2027 Read the news. This plan may not reflect it yet; check the agency's page before you go.

Your situation

How old are you?
Online or in person
No, in person · At least two visitsThe permit application, vision screening and knowledge exam are done in person at a customer service center (the exam is also given in participating high schools). You can book the appointment online, and the license application page says the application can be completed online or on paper; the DMV pages name no at-home exam for a first license. One for the permit (vision screening and knowledge exam), and one for the DMV road skills test unless completing driver education waives it (18 or older). Appointment or walk-in.
Cost
$3 permit + license feeThe permit costs $3 plus the yearly cost of a driver's license. A standard eight-year license costs $32. Test and driver education fees are not listed on the pages read.
You leave with
Learner's permit, then a driver's licenseDMV mails the permit to the address in its records; the Postal Service won't forward it.

Your plan

  1. Gather your documents

  2. Study the Virginia Driver's Manual

    The knowledge exam has two parts: 10 road sign questions (all must be right) and 30 general questions (at least 24 right).

    Knowledge Exam (Virginia DMV) ↗

  3. Take a free practice test

    Before the knowledge test, try our Virginia Learner's Permit Practice Test: 40 questions like the real exam, based on the official handbook, with every answer explained.

    Start the Virginia practice test

  4. Get your learner's permit

    From 15 years and 6 months. At a customer service center (book online or walk in), hand in the DL 1P and documents, pay the fee, pass the vision screening and the knowledge exam. If you fail the exam: under 18, wait 15 full days; 18 or older, once a day. After three failures you must complete the classroom part of a driver education course first.

    Apply for a Learner's Permit (Virginia DMV) ↗

  5. Hold the permit 60 days or complete driver education

    Either hold the permit at least 60 days and complete the Behind-the-Wheel Checklist (CSMA 19), or complete a state-approved driver education program while on the permit, which waives the holding period and the DMV road test.

    Driver Education Requirements (Virginia DMV) ↗

  6. Practice with a licensed driver

    A licensed driver 21 or older (18 or older if your guardian or sibling) must sit beside you. As a permit holder, carry no more than one passenger under 18 (family excepted). No cell phone use while driving, hand-held or not.

    Apply for a Learner's Permit (Virginia DMV) ↗

  7. Pass the road skills test

    At a customer service center, by appointment or walk-in, bring your permit, a completed CSMA 140 (vehicle owner and applicant acknowledgement), proof of driver education or the CSMA 19, and a vehicle with a valid safety inspection sticker, plates and registration card. Under 18 you must have completed a state-approved driver education program, and the license application page says you complete the road skills test through that program; 18 or older, completing driver education waives the DMV skills exam. After one or two failed tests, wait two days.

    Road Skills Test (Virginia DMV) ↗

Common reasons people get turned away

  • Ages 18 to 20: if you get your license after January 1, 2027, you need proof of driver education even if your permit was issued earlier, and from that date the permit must be held at least 90 days.
  • Under 18, the driving school must send the completion certificate to DMV; DMV won't accept it from you.
  • The road test vehicle needs a valid safety inspection sticker, plates and registration card, and working brakes, belts, horn, lights, signals, mirrors and speedometer.
  • Failing the knowledge exam means a 15-day wait under 18; three failures of either test require a driver education component first.
  • Bring original documents and your full legal name; copies and nicknames are not accepted.
  • If you don't get your permit or license within one year of passing the knowledge exam, you must retest.

Offices for permits, tests and first licenses

You apply for a learner's permit and take the vision screening and knowledge exam at any DMV customer service center. DMV Selects do not issue or renew driver's licenses or learner's permits. Agency source.

75 offices where you can apply for a permit or first licenseSee them on a map, search by county or show the ones open now

Largest cities with them: Virginia Beach (2) · Chesapeake (1) · Richmond (4) · Norfolk (2) · Newport News (1) · Alexandria (2) · Hampton (1) · Arlington (2)

Results show offices where you can apply for a permit or first license or may be able to, nearest first, each labelled.

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Sources · checked November 4, 2026

We wrote this plan ourselves from the official pages above on the date shown. Agencies change rules without notice: the official page always wins. DMV Decoded is independent and not a government agency; we don't book appointments or take payments.