Virginia doesn’t issue a license called “Class D.” What neighboring states label a Class D driver’s license, Virginia simply calls a standard driver’s license, and it’s the one most people need. It covers passenger cars, SUVs, pickups, and other non-commercial vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating under 26,001 pounds. Anything heavier, or anything hauling hazardous materials, requires a commercial driver’s license instead. Here’s how to get the standard Virginia license, what it costs, and what to expect at each step.
Who Can Apply
Age is the first gate. You can apply for a standard license at 16 years and three months old if you’ve completed a state-approved driver education program and held your learner’s permit for at least nine months.1Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Driver License Eligibility Requirements If you’re under 18, a parent or legal guardian has to sign your application. Emancipated minors can file a court order in place of that signature.2Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Apply for a Learner’s Permit
Adults who have never held a license anywhere — Virginia, another state, a U.S. territory, or a foreign country — have two paths. You can take an approved driver education course, or you can hold a Virginia learner’s permit for at least 60 days before sitting the road skills test.1Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Driver License Eligibility Requirements
Every first-time applicant also has to be a Virginia resident and show legal presence in the United States, meaning U.S. citizenship, lawful permanent residence, or an eligible immigration status.3Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Virginia’s Legal Presence Law That residency has to stay in place for as long as the license is valid.
Documents to Bring
Virginia asks for proof in four categories at every license application. Expect to produce:
- Identity and legal presence, such as a valid U.S. passport or a certified birth certificate. The DMV’s online Document Guide lists every accepted option.
- Two documents proving your Virginia residency, like a recent utility bill, bank statement, or pay stub showing your Virginia address.
- Proof of your Social Security number, usually your Social Security card or a W-2. If the DMV can verify your number electronically, you may not need a physical document.
You’ll fill out Form DL 1P, the Driver’s License and Identification Card Application, either online beforehand or on paper at a customer service center.4Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Driver’s License and Identification Card Application The form asks for your full legal name, address, and height, and includes medical questions about corrective lenses and any history of seizures or loss of consciousness. You can also mark organ donor status and register to vote on the same form.
If the name on any supporting document doesn’t match your current legal name, bring certified copies of every document in the chain — marriage certificate, divorce decree, court order — connecting one name to the next. This catches more applicants off guard than the residency proof does.
The Three Tests
Applying means passing a vision screening, a written knowledge exam, and a road skills test.
Vision Screening
You need at least 20/40 visual acuity in one or both eyes, with or without corrective lenses, plus at least 110 degrees of horizontal field of vision.5Virginia Code Commission. Code of Virginia Title 46.2 – Section 46.2-311 If you wear glasses or contacts to drive, your license will carry a corrective-lens restriction.6Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Vision Requirements Overview
Knowledge Exam
The written test has two parts. First, 10 road sign identification questions — you have to get all 10 right to move on. Then 30 general knowledge questions on traffic laws and safe driving, where you need at least 24 correct (80 percent) to pass.7Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. The Knowledge Exam
Fail it, and the wait depends on your age. Applicants under 18 have to wait 15 days before retaking the exam. Applicants 18 and older can come back the next day. After three failures at any age, you must complete the classroom portion of a state-approved driver training school program before testing again, and the course completion date has to fall after your third failure.7Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. The Knowledge Exam
Road Skills Test
The road test evaluates how you handle real driving: signaling, lane positioning, backing up, overall vehicle control. You supply the car, and it has to have a valid safety inspection sticker, license plates, a registration card, and working brakes, safety belts, horn, lights, turn signals, mirrors, and speedometer. In a rental, you must be listed on the agreement as an authorized driver.8Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Road Skills Tests
If you finished a state-approved driver education course, the DMV Commissioner may waive the road skills portion.9Virginia Code Commission. Code of Virginia Title 46.2 Chapter 3 – Licensure of Drivers The waiver isn’t automatic in every situation, so confirm it with your local DMV before scheduling.
Fees and What Happens at the Counter
Virginia charges $4 per year for a standard license with no endorsements. The usual eight-year license runs $32. The minimum fee is $20, which applies to shorter-duration licenses such as the five-year license issued to drivers 75 and older.10Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. DMV Fees
Schedule an appointment through the DMV website before visiting a customer service center. Bring the completed DL 1P and all supporting documents. Once a representative verifies your paperwork and you pass the tests, you pay the fee and leave with a temporary paper license that’s legally valid for driving. Your permanent card arrives in the mail at your home address in about 15 days.11Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Renew Driver’s License/CDL
Restrictions if You’re Under 18
Getting the license is only half of it for younger drivers. Virginia imposes driving restrictions on anyone under 18, and they stay in effect until your 18th birthday.
- No driving between midnight and 4 a.m., unless you’re going to or from work, going to or from an adult-supervised school or civic activity, driving with a licensed spouse or parent in the front seat, or responding to an emergency.
- You can carry only one passenger under 21, unless a licensed parent (or another adult acting in that role) rides in the front passenger seat. After a full year with your license, you can carry up to three passengers under 21 when you’re going to a school-sponsored activity, when a licensed driver 21 or older is in the front seat, or in an emergency. Family members don’t count against the passenger limit.
Before the license is issued, a parent has to certify that you logged at least 45 hours of supervised driving practice, with 15 of those hours after sunset.2Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Apply for a Learner’s Permit Families routinely underestimate this requirement; it isn’t something you can finish in the week before the road test.12Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Teen Driving Restrictions
REAL ID or Standard
At the counter, you’ll choose between a REAL ID-compliant license and a standard one. Since May 7, 2025, a REAL ID (or another acceptable federal ID like a valid passport) is required to board domestic flights and enter certain federal facilities.13Transportation Security Administration. REAL ID Virginia’s REAL ID carries a star in the upper right corner; the standard version shows the words “Federal Limits Apply.”14Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. REAL ID
The four document categories are the same either way, but for a REAL ID every document must be an original, not a photocopy or temporary version. Any name change since a document was issued needs certified proof so you can show a complete history. Upgrading to a REAL ID adds $10 on top of the regular license fee.14Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. REAL ID If you already carry a valid U.S. passport, you don’t need the REAL ID version. A standard license drives you anywhere; the “Federal Limits Apply” text only matters when the license is your sole ID at an airport or federal building.
How Long the License Lasts and How to Renew
Most Virginia driver’s licenses are good for eight years and expire on your birthday. Drivers 75 and older, and anyone required to register as a sex offender, get five-year licenses. You can renew online, by mail, or in person up to a year before expiration, and the DMV sends email, text, and mail reminders 90 days ahead.15Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Renew Driver’s License Renewal costs the same as the original: $32 for eight years, $20 for five.16Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Renew Your Driver’s License or CDL Online
Driving Without One
Driving without a valid license in Virginia is a Class 2 misdemeanor on a first offense, with up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000. A second or later offense is a Class 1 misdemeanor, with up to 12 months in jail and a fine of up to $2,500. On any conviction, the court can also suspend your driving privileges for up to 90 days.17Virginia Code Commission. Code of Virginia Title 46.2 – Section 46.2-300
One exception: if you were eligible for a license but simply hadn’t gotten one yet, the court may dismiss the charge once you show proof of compliance before your court date. That dismissal isn’t available to commercial vehicle operators.