What to bring to the Virginia DMV permit test

For the learner's permit and knowledge test

• Completed Application for a Virginia Driver's License (DL 1P); under 18 needs parent/guardian signature (or court order of emancipation)
• One proof of identity
• One proof of legal presence
• Two proofs of Virginia residency
• Proof of Social Security number, if issued (can be verified electronically)
• Fee: $3 plus the yearly license cost

Fees

• Learner's permit (combined with license): $3 plus the yearly cost of the driver's license
• Driver's license: $4 per year (minimum $20); $32 for a standard eight-year license
• Replacement learner's permit: $2

The vision test

Unrestricted license: 20/40 or better in one or both eyes AND at least 110 degrees horizontal field in one or both eyes. Daylight-only license: 20/70 or better in one or both eyes AND at least 70 degrees horizontal field (one-eyed drivers: 30 degrees toward the nose and 40 toward the temple). Daylight-only means half an hour after sunrise to half an hour before sunset. Drivers who need corrective lenses get restriction code C.

Bring your glasses or contact lenses if you wear them to see clearly.

For the road test

• Learner's permit
• Completed CSMA 140 form
• Proof of state-approved driver education or the In-Car Maneuvers Observation Record / Behind-the-Wheel Checklist (CSMA 19)
• A vehicle with valid safety inspection sticker, plates, registration card, and working brakes, safety belts, horn, lights, turn signals, mirrors and speedometer (not an autocycle); rentals only if you are an authorized driver on the agreement

What happens on the road test

After you pass: your permit

• Hold it for at least Under 18: at least 9 months and completion of state-approved driver education. 18 and older (before Jan. 1, 2027): 60 days OR completion of driver education while holding the permit. From Jan. 1, 2027: ages 18-20 must hold 90 days AND complete driver education; 21+ hold 60 days OR complete driver education. before the road test.
• Log 45 hours of supervised driving, 15 of them at night.
• A licensed driver at least 21 must sit in the front passenger seat and be alert and able to help. The supervising driver may be 18-20 if they are the learner's legal guardian or sibling (brother, sister, half-sibling or step-sibling)
• Learner's permit holders may not carry more than one passenger under 18 (family members excepted)
• Under 18: no driving midnight to 4 a.m. except for work, adult-supervised school, civic or religious activities, with a licensed spouse 18 or older or a parent or adult in loco parentis in the front seat, or in emergencies
• Under 18: no use of a cell phone or other wireless device while driving, hand-held or not, except in a driver emergency with the vehicle lawfully parked or stopped
• You may drive without a licensed driver only if you hold a signed Virginia Driver Training Certificate (DTS B) for completed classroom and behind-the-wheel driver education, are at least 16 years 3 months old, and have held the permit 9 months
• A parent or guardian must certify at least 45 hours of driving, 15 of them after sunset, on the driver education completion certificate
• Driver education: 36 classroom sessions, 7 driving sessions, 7 observation sessions and a final road skills exam (50-minute sessions), plus a 90-minute parent/teen component for under-18s (in person in Planning District 8)

Before you go

Take a practice test or two the day before, and the exam simulator to check you can pass in the real format. Bring originals, not photocopies, unless the DMV says copies are accepted.