How to Fill Out Virginia Form DL 1P: Documents, Fees, and Tests

Virginia Form DL 1P is the single application the DMV uses for a driver’s license, learner’s permit, commercial driver’s license, or state-issued photo ID card.¹ You can fill it out ahead of time through the DMV’s Start Anywhere online portal or print the PDF and complete it by hand, but either way you finish the application in person at a Customer Service Center with your original supporting documents.²

Gather Your Documents First

The DL 1P asks for information the DMV will verify against original paperwork at the counter. Photocopies and temporary documents are not accepted.³ Pull these together before you start filling out the form so the answers on the page match what you can hand over.⁴

Proof of identity and legal presence: a valid U.S. passport, certified birth certificate, or permanent resident card.
Proof of Social Security Number: your Social Security card, or a W-2 or payroll stub showing the full number.
Two proofs of Virginia residency from the DMV’s accepted list. Primary documents include a deed, mortgage statement, residential lease, or a utility bill no more than two months old. Cell phone bills do not count. You may use two primary documents, or one primary and one secondary.⁵
Proof of any legal name change, such as a certified marriage certificate, divorce decree, or court order, if your current name differs from what’s on your identity document.

If you already hold a license from another state, bring it. Virginia law requires you to disclose prior license history and any suspensions, and the DMV will collect your out-of-state license when it issues the Virginia one.⁶

Working Through the Form

The top of the DL 1P collects your full legal name, date of birth, Social Security Number, sex, and residential address. For the sex field, Virginia allows male, female, or non-binary.⁶ Physical descriptors follow: height, weight, and eye color, all of which appear on the finished credential.

Further down, the form asks whether you have any medical conditions that could affect your ability to drive safely, and whether your license has ever been suspended or revoked. Answer honestly. Providing false information is punishable under Virginia Code § 46.2-348.⁶

Voter Registration

Under the National Voter Registration Act, every driver’s license application doubles as a voter registration application unless you decline that portion by not signing it.⁷ If you’re already registered and are using the DL 1P to change your address, that address change flows through to your voter registration automatically unless you opt out.

Organ and Tissue Donor Designation

Signing the organ donor section creates a legally sufficient record for anatomical donation, with no separate paperwork required from your family.⁸ Minors can add the designation without parental consent, and the notation remains on the license until you ask the DMV to remove it.

Selective Service

Virginia ties driver’s license issuance to Selective Service registration. Men aged 18 through 25 who are U.S. citizens or immigrants living in the United States are required by federal law to register, and the DL 1P includes a consent section that handles it.⁹ Failing to register can affect federal student aid, most federal jobs, and citizenship for immigrant men. If you’re 26 or older, registration is no longer available or required.

Standard License or REAL ID

The DL 1P asks which credential you want: a standard Virginia license or ID, or the REAL ID-compliant version with the star marking. REAL ID enforcement began on May 7, 2025. A standard license without the star is no longer accepted for boarding domestic flights or entering secure federal facilities and military bases, though you can still use it for driving and general identification.¹⁰¹¹

Choosing REAL ID adds a one-time $10 fee to the standard license cost.¹² The document categories are the same as above, but every document must be an original for verification. You can use printouts of otherwise-online residency documents, such as a downloaded bank statement, for the residency requirement.³

If You’re Under 18

Applicants under 18 must complete a state-approved driver education program before receiving a license.¹³ A parent or legal guardian also has to give written consent by signing the DL 1P.¹⁴

If a minor has no parent or guardian, a juvenile and domestic relations district court judge in the minor’s city or county can sign instead. Married or emancipated minors can substitute proof of marriage or an emancipation order for the parental signature.¹⁵ The minor and the signing adult both certify that the applicant is a Virginia resident.

If You’re Applying for a CDL

The DL 1P is also the application form for a commercial driver’s license, but CDL applicants have federal medical requirements layered on top of the standard process. If you drive a commercial vehicle over 10,000 pounds in interstate commerce, you must obtain and maintain a valid Medical Examiner’s Certificate, commonly called a medical card.¹⁶

You also self-certify your operating category on the form. The four options are:

Non-excepted interstate: you drive across state lines and must carry a federal medical card. Pick this if you do both excepted and non-excepted interstate work.
Excepted interstate: you drive across state lines only for specifically exempt activities, such as transporting school children or government employees.
Non-excepted intrastate: you drive only within Virginia and must meet the state’s medical requirements.
Excepted intrastate: you drive only within Virginia for activities the state has exempted from medical certification.¹⁷

If you fail to keep your medical certificate expiration date current with the DMV, your commercial driving privileges are downgraded, and you can’t legally operate a CMV that requires a CDL.¹⁶

Finishing at the Customer Service Center

You can schedule an appointment online for a weekday visit, grab a same-day E-Ticket, or walk in. An appointment guarantees a time slot and cuts the wait.¹⁸

At the counter, hand over the completed DL 1P with your original documents. A technician verifies everything and runs a vision screening, which involves reading letters or numbers through a machine.¹⁹ For an unrestricted license, you need 20/40 or better vision in at least one eye (corrected or uncorrected) and at least 110 degrees of horizontal field of vision.²⁰

Knowledge and Road Tests

Which tests you take depends on your age and background. The knowledge exam has two parts: 10 road sign questions, all of which you must answer correctly, and 30 general knowledge questions, of which you need at least 24 right to pass.²¹

Adults over 18 who have never held a license have two paths. Complete a driver education program and you only take the knowledge exam. Skip driver education, hold a learner’s permit for at least 60 days, and you take both the knowledge exam and a road skills test.² Applicants under 18 always take both. If you’re exchanging an out-of-state license, the technician tells you at the counter which tests apply.

What It Costs

The DMV accepts cash, personal checks, cashier’s checks, credit cards, debit cards, and money orders.²² Common fees:

Standard eight-year driver’s license: $32 (charged at $4 per year, with a $20 minimum).¹²
Combined learner’s permit and driver’s license: $3 plus the yearly license cost.
REAL ID upgrade: $10, one-time, on top of the underlying credential.
Photo identification card: $2 per year ($10 minimum, $16 maximum).
90-day temporary driver’s license: $10.

Getting Your Card

Once your application is approved and your photo is taken, you leave with a temporary paper receipt. The permanent card is mailed by USPS to the residential address on file. Allow at least 15 days before contacting the DMV about a missing card, and confirm your address before leaving the office because USPS will not forward your license.²³²⁴

1
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles Form DL 1P – Driver’s License and Identification Card Application
2
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Apply for a Driver’s License
3
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. REAL ID
4
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Helpful Tips for Your DMV Visit
5
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Getting a Virginia Driver’s License or Identification Card Required Documents
6
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 46.2-323 – Application for Driver’s License; Proof of Completion of Driver Education Program; Penalty
7
The United States Department of Justice. The National Voter Registration Act of 1993
8
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 46.2-342 – What License to Contain; Organ Donor Information
9
Selective Service System. Selective Service System
10
Transportation Security Administration. REAL ID
11
Transportation Security Administration. Plan Ahead Virginia Residents: REAL ID Enforcement for Air Travel
12
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Virginia DMV Fee Schedule
13
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Driver License Eligibility Requirements
14
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Apply for a Learner’s Permit
15
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 46.2-334 – Conditions and Requirements for Licensure of Persons Under 18
16
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Medical
17
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. How Do I Determine Which of the 4 Categories of Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) Operation I Should Self-Certify
18
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Plan Your Visit
19
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Vision Requirements Overview
20
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 46.2-311 – Persons Having Defective Vision; Minimum Standards of Visual Acuity and Field of Vision; Tests of Vision
21
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. The Knowledge Exam
22
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Payment Plan Program
23
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Renew Driver’s License or CDL
24
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Replace Driver’s License or CDL