What Do You Need to Get a Driver’s License in WV?

To get a driver’s license in WV, you need to be at least 18 (or move through the graduated program starting at 15), prove your identity, Social Security number, and West Virginia residency with the right documents, and pass a vision screening, a 25-question knowledge test, and a behind-the-wheel road test.¹ Everything below walks through what to bring, what the tests cover, what it costs, and the rules that differ if you are under 18 or moving in from another state.

Age and Residency

You must be at least 18 to apply for a standard Class E license outside the graduated licensing program, and you must be a West Virginia resident with a physical address in the state.² If you recently moved here from another state, you have 30 days to get a West Virginia license.³ Drivers younger than 18 follow the graduated track described further down.

Documents to Bring

The DMV asks for documents in four categories: identity, Social Security number, West Virginia residency, and, if it applies, a legal name change. Missing any one of them turns your appointment into a wasted trip, so lay everything out before you leave the house.

Proof of Identity

Bring an original or certified U.S. birth certificate, or a valid, unexpired U.S. passport or passport card. Hospital birth certificates and Census Bureau records are not accepted.⁴

Proof of Social Security Number

Your Social Security card works. So does an original W-2 (not a photocopy) that shows your employer’s name and ID number along with your full Social Security number, or a 1099 with your full number on it. If you are not eligible for a Social Security number, you must provide a denial letter from the Social Security Administration.⁴

Two Proofs of West Virginia Residency

You need two documents showing a physical West Virginia street address. P.O. boxes do not count. Acceptable items include West Virginia utility bills no more than 60 days old (not termination notices, and not two from the same company), tax records with a West Virginia street address, mortgage or homeowner insurance documents, a W-2 no more than 18 months old, or a residential lease.⁴

Proof of Legal Name Change

If your current legal name differs from the name on your identity document, you need to bridge the gap. Bring a certified marriage certificate for each marriage, a court order showing the name change, or a certified divorce decree with your legal name. If you are 50 or older, hold a current West Virginia license in the name being verified, and have gone through at least one renewal cycle, a signed statement can substitute for the marriage certificate or divorce decree.⁴

If You Are Not a U.S. Citizen

Non-citizen applicants must show that their presence in the United States is authorized under federal law, in addition to proving West Virginia residency. Without satisfactory proof of lawful presence, the DMV will not issue a license.⁵ Acceptable documents depend on your status and generally include items issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, such as a Permanent Resident Card, Employment Authorization Document, or an unexpired foreign passport with an I-94 arrival record. Call your nearest DMV regional office to confirm which documents apply to your situation.

The Vision Screening

Every applicant takes a vision test at the office. West Virginia requires at least 20/40 visual acuity. If your vision falls between 20/40 and 20/60, the DMV reviews your case individually and may require a vision report form completed by your eye doctor.⁶ Bring your glasses or contacts if you use them. If you need them to meet the standard, expect a corrective lenses restriction on your license.

The Knowledge Test

After the vision screening comes a written test on West Virginia traffic laws, road signs, and safe driving practices. It has 25 multiple-choice questions, and you need 19 correct to pass. The West Virginia Driver’s Handbook, free on the DMV website, covers everything on the exam. Speed limits in school zones, blood alcohol thresholds, and sign shapes are the kinds of questions that trip up applicants who rely on general driving sense.

The Road Test

Once you pass the knowledge test, you can schedule the road skills exam. You must bring a vehicle with valid registration, valid insurance, and a working setup that passes a basic safety check. A licensed driver has to come with you to the test site, since you do not yet have a license to drive there alone.⁷

The examiner watches how you handle turns, lane changes, stopping, and parking. For the parking portion, practice in a space about 25 feet long and aim to park within 18 inches of the curb. Before the test, know how to locate and operate the wipers, hazard lights, turn signals, high and low beams, and parking brake, because the examiner may ask you to demonstrate them.⁸

Fees and Getting the Card

West Virginia charges $5.00 per year for a driver’s license. Your license expires at the next age divisible by five (25, 30, 35, and so on), so the total depends on your age when you apply. A 21-year-old, for example, pays $20.00, covering the four years until age 25.⁹

After you pass both tests and pay, you leave with a temporary card valid for 60 days. The permanent license comes from a secure central printing facility and typically arrives in the mail within about 15 business days.¹⁰ Regional offices no longer print licenses on site.¹

REAL ID or Standard Card

At the counter, you choose between a REAL ID-compliant license (marked with a gold star) and a “Not for Federal Identification Use” card. Since May 7, 2025, boarding a domestic flight or entering certain federal buildings requires a REAL ID-compliant license or another federally accepted ID.¹¹ The document list is the same either way, so if you bring what this article describes, you can walk out with the REAL ID version at no extra effort.¹² The standard card takes the same paperwork but will not work at TSA checkpoints or in select federal facilities.¹⁰

Insurance You Must Carry Before You Drive

A license alone does not let you legally drive. West Virginia law requires you to carry liability insurance meeting these minimums:¹³

$25,000 for bodily injury or death of one person in an accident
$50,000 for bodily injury or death of all people in a single accident
$25,000 for property damage

This is often written as “25/50/25.” Keep your insurance card in the vehicle, since law enforcement can ask for proof at any traffic stop. Driving uninsured in West Virginia can lead to license suspension and reinstatement fees on top of fines.

Transferring an Out-of-State License

If you already hold a valid license from another state and you are 18 or older, the process is faster. As long as your out-of-state license expired no more than 36 months ago, both the knowledge test and the road test are waived.³ You still bring the same identity, Social Security, and residency documents, plus your out-of-state license, and you still take the vision screening. If your prior license has been expired more than 36 months, you take the full battery of tests as a first-time applicant.

Getting a License Under 18

Anyone under 18 goes through West Virginia’s three-level graduated driver licensing system. Each level adds privileges and removes restrictions as the driver builds experience.¹⁴

Level 1 Instruction Permit at 15

At 15, with parental consent and satisfactory school enrollment, you can apply for a Level 1 permit. You can drive only with a licensed driver age 21 or older in the front passenger seat (that supervisor must be the only other front-seat occupant), no more than two additional passengers unless they are family, only between 5:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., with zero measurable blood alcohol, and no wireless device use except to call 911. The permit is valid until 30 days after you turn 18 and cannot be renewed. Two moving violations revoke it, and you cannot retest for 90 days.

Level 2 Intermediate License at 16

After holding the Level 1 permit for at least six months, you can apply for a Level 2 license at 16. You must have either completed a state-approved driver’s education course or logged 50 hours of behind-the-wheel practice, including at least 10 hours at night, certified by a parent, guardian, or other responsible adult over 21. Level 2 lets you drive unsupervised between 5:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. Between 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m., you still need a licensed driver age 21 or older with you, with exceptions for work, school, religious activities, and emergencies. The passenger limits, zero-alcohol rule, and two-violation revocation rule carry over.

Level 3 Full Class E License at 17

After a year at Level 2 without traffic infractions (headlamp and improper backing violations do not count), you can get a full Class E license at 17. The fee runs $5.00 per year until your 21st birthday, when the license expires and you renew on the standard adult schedule.¹

1
WV Division of Motor Vehicles. Driver’s Licenses and ID Cards
2
West Virginia Legislature. West Virginia Code 17B-2-1 – Drivers Must Be Licensed; Types of Licenses
3
Legal Information Institute. West Virginia Code of State Rules 91-4-8 – Transfer of Driver’s License
4
WV DMV Skip the Trip! Acceptable Proof Documents
5
Legal Information Institute. West Virginia Code of State Rules 91-4-12 – Proof of Legal Presence
6
WV Division of Motor Vehicles. Medical Review Unit
7
WV Department of Transportation. Appt-Documents-Skills-Testing
8
WV Division of Motor Vehicles. Sample Driver’s Test
9
WV Division of Motor Vehicles. License and Renewal Fees
10
WV Division of Motor Vehicles. Frequently Asked Questions
11
Transportation Security Administration. TSA Publishes Final Rule on REAL ID Enforcement Beginning May 7, 2025
12
WV Division of Motor Vehicles. What is Real ID?
13
West Virginia Legislature. West Virginia Code 17D-4-2
14
West Virginia Legislature. West Virginia Code 17B-2-3A – Graduated Driver’s License