Virginia’s Court Licensing Ceremony: How a Teen Receives Their License

Last verified: 17 August 2026

Quick answer

In Virginia, a first license issued to someone under 18 may not come to them at all. Under § 46.2-336, DMV sends it to a judge:

“The Department shall forward all original driver’s licenses issued to persons under the age of 18 years to the judge of the juvenile and domestic relations court in the city or county in which the licensee resides.”

Where that happens, the judge hands it over at a ceremony. The statute directs the judge to “conduct a formal, appropriate ceremony” at the time of issuance.

Whether your family has to attend depends on your court. The chief judge of a district may waive the ceremony or order it conducted in an alternative manner — and where it is waived, DMV mails the license directly.

You do not have to work this out yourself. DMV states that the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court where you live “will mail you a notice if you are required to attend.”

If you must attend and you are still under 18, you cannot go alone. The statute requires a parent, guardian, spouse or other person in loco parentis with you.

Your court’s route	What it means for you
Ceremony held, and you attend	DMV forwards the license to the juvenile and domestic relations court judge, who issues it at the ceremony. If the licensee is still under 18, a parent, guardian, spouse or other person in loco parentis must be there.
Ceremony conducted in an alternative manner	The chief juvenile and domestic relations district court judge may order this for the courts in the district. What the alternative involves is set locally — follow the notice your court sends.
Ceremonial requirements waived	The statute states that where the ceremony has been waived, DMV mails or otherwise delivers the license directly to the licensee.
How you find out which applies	DMV states the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court in the jurisdiction where you live will mail you a notice if you are required to attend.

Why a court is involved at all

This is the part that explains everything else.

Where the ceremony applies, DMV does not mail the license to the driver. It forwards it to the judge of the juvenile and domestic relations court for the city or county where the licensee lives. The license sits with the court until the judge issues it.

That one sentence in § 46.2-336 is why a court appears in a licensing process at all, and why a parent may be asked to attend something.

By contrast, DMV states that a license issued to someone 18 or older is simply mailed: “If you are 18 years of age or older when the driver’s license is issued, your license will be mailed to your address on file with DMV.”

Do you have to attend? It depends on your court

Two things are true at once, and they are easy to misread as a contradiction.

The statute sets the default. § 46.2-336 directs the judge or a substitute judge to issue the license and, at the time of issuance, to conduct a ceremony.

The same statute lets a district opt out.

“The chief juvenile and domestic relations district court judge may waive the ceremonial requirements of subsection A for each juvenile and domestic relations district court within the district or order that each juvenile and domestic relations district court within the district conduct such ceremony in an alternative manner.”

And where that happens:

“In courts where the ceremony has been waived, the Department shall mail or otherwise deliver the driver’s licenses directly to licensees.”

Read on its own terms, the statute describes three outcomes rather than two: a ceremony you attend, a ceremony conducted in an alternative manner, or the ceremonial requirements waived, with the license mailed. DMV’s own wording fits that — it says a teen “may be required” to attend, and that “if the court does not require the ceremony, your driver’s license will be mailed directly to you.”

Which is why another family’s experience in another county is not a guide to yours. The waiver decision belongs to the courts, not to DMV, and the statute allows it to be made or changed.

How to find out which applies to you

Wait for the court’s notice — that is the instruction DMV gives.

“The Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court in the jurisdiction where you live will mail you a notice if you are required to attend.”

DMV also publishes a document listing jurisdictions under two headings — “LICENSE MAILED TO COURT (Minor is Required to Attend Court Licensing Ceremony)” and “LICENSE MAILED DIRECTLY TO CUSTOMER” — with an effective date on each entry.

Who has to come with you

If a ceremony applies and the licensee is still under 18:

“If the licensee is under the age of 18 years at the time his ceremony is held, he shall be accompanied at the ceremony by a parent, his guardian, spouse, or other person in loco parentis.”

That list is wider than “a parent.” A guardian counts. A spouse counts. So does another person standing in a parent’s place.

DMV describes the same requirement in plainer words — a ceremony “with your parent or guardian” — so if your household arrangement is not the obvious one, the statute is the wording to go by, and the court is the place to confirm it.

If you turn 18 between the license and the ceremony

DMV answers this case directly:

“If you are under the age of 18 when the driver’s license is issued, you are required to attend a court licensing ceremony, and you turn 18 before your court ceremony, you must still attend the court ceremony, but you are not required to be accompanied by a parent or guardian.”

Turning 18 in the gap does not cancel the ceremony. It removes the requirement that someone comes with you.

What the ceremony is for

The statute says what the judge is meant to do there:

“The judge or a substitute judge shall issue to each person to be licensed the license so forwarded, and shall, at the time of issuance, conduct a formal, appropriate ceremony, in which he shall illustrate to the licensee the responsibility attendant on the privilege of driving a motor vehicle.”

So it is framed as a moment about responsibility, not a hearing. Nobody is on trial. Note also that a substitute judge may conduct it — the statute provides for that.

One more provision is worth knowing about in advance:

“The attorney for the Commonwealth who serves the jurisdiction in which the ceremony is to be conducted may request in writing in advance of such ceremony an opportunity to participate in the ceremony.”

So a prosecutor may ask to participate — in writing, before the ceremony. The statute provides for the request; whether it happens in your court is a local matter.

What the statute and the DMV pages checked for this article do not cover is the practical detail — how long it runs, what to wear, how many families attend at once, whether you can reschedule. Those are questions for your own court. The Virginia court system does publish a Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court Driver’s License Ceremony video, which is the closest thing to an official preview.

Two situations the statute treats differently

You are away at school outside Virginia. The statute allows the judge to “mail or otherwise deliver the driver’s license to any person who is a student at any educational institution outside of the Commonwealth” — this is a provision for the judge to apply, not something you can assume, so raise it with the court rather than simply not attending.

You already hold a valid license from another state. § 46.2-336 states that it does not apply to a person who holds a valid driver’s license issued by another state. A teen moving to Virginia who is already licensed elsewhere is on a different path — a license transfer, which has its own requirements. Confirm those with DMV.

Where this sits in the process

The ceremony is not a test and not another requirement to pass. It happens after the license has already been issued — the statute is about how an already-issued license reaches a driver under 18. The testing is behind you by then; how the Virginia road test is marked covers that part.

And it is a genuinely under-18 process. If you are licensed for the first time at 18 or older, DMV mails the license to you — though the first-time requirements for ages 18 to 20 change on 1 January 2027, which is worth knowing before deciding to wait.

Frequently asked questions

Do all Virginia teens attend a court licensing ceremony?

No. The statute sets a ceremony as the default, but the chief juvenile and domestic relations district court judge may waive it for the courts in the district or order it conducted in an alternative manner. Where it is waived, DMV states the license is mailed directly.

How do I know if my court requires it?

DMV states the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court where you live will mail you a notice if you are required to attend. DMV also publishes a list of jurisdictions — check DMV’s current document rather than a copy, and contact your court if you are unsure.

Why does the court have my license?

Because § 46.2-336 directs DMV to forward original licenses issued to people under 18 to the judge of the juvenile and domestic relations court for the city or county where the licensee lives.

Who can go with me?

The statute names a parent, guardian, spouse, or other person in loco parentis.

What if I turn 18 before the ceremony?

DMV states you must still attend, but you are not required to be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Can someone attend on my behalf?

The statute is written around the judge issuing the license to the person being licensed, at the ceremony. Nothing we found in it describes someone attending in the licensee’s place, so ask your court about your situation rather than sending someone else.

I’m at college out of state. Do I have to come home?

The statute allows the judge to mail or otherwise deliver the license to a person who is a student at an educational institution outside Virginia. That is the judge’s decision to make, so contact the court.

What happens at the ceremony?

The statute directs the judge, or a substitute judge, to issue the license and conduct a formal, appropriate ceremony illustrating the responsibility that comes with driving. The attorney for the Commonwealth may request in writing, in advance, to participate. Local practice beyond that is not something we found published by DMV.

Does the ceremony apply if I already have a license from another state?

§ 46.2-336 states that it does not apply to a person holding a valid driver’s license issued by another state. Confirm your own transfer requirements with DMV.

Do I get my license the same day?

At a ceremony, the judge issues the license that DMV forwarded to the court. Where the ceremony has been waived, DMV states the license is mailed to you. Neither the statute nor the DMV pages checked for this article publishes a timeframe for either route — your court is the place to ask.

Official sources

All information above was verified against these official sources on 17 August 2026. Statutes and DMV guidance change — confirm current details with Virginia DMV or your court.

1. Code of Virginia § 46.2-336, Manner of issuing original driver’s licenses to minors
2. Virginia DMV — Teen Driver Frequently Asked Questions
3. Virginia DMV — Apply for a Driver’s License
4. Virginia DMV — Court Licensing Ceremony Requirements (PDF)
5. Virginia Judicial System — Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court Driver’s License Ceremony Video

This guide is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles or the Virginia Judicial System. It is general information, not legal advice.