Virginia Driver Education Requirements: Who Needs It and What It Involves
Last verified: August 16, 2026
Virginia driver education requirements vary by age and licensing history. Driver education is required for some Virginia drivers and optional for others, and a lot of people get the order wrong — including whether you need it before you can get a learner’s permit.
This guide covers who Virginia requires to complete driver education, what the program actually involves, where you can take it, and how your completion certificate gets to DMV.
Quick Answer
You do not need driver education to get a Virginia learner’s permit. DMV’s permit requirements are documents, a fee, a vision screening, and the two-part knowledge exam. Driver education matters when you apply for your license.
Who needs it for a driver’s license, if you have never held a license issued by any state, U.S. territory, or foreign country:
- Under 18 — driver education is required.
- 18 or older, right now (licensed through December 31, 2026) — you need a learner’s permit either way. Driver education is one of two routes to shorten what comes next.
- Ages 18–20, licensed on or after January 1, 2027 — driver education becomes required, alongside a 90-day permit.
- 21 or older, from 2027 — the two-route choice stays.
If you already hold a license from somewhere else, most of this does not apply to you. One exception, for applicants 18 or older: a separate rule can apply if you have held a license before but have never held the class or endorsement needed for the type of vehicle you now want to operate. Confirm that route with Virginia DMV.
A state-approved program is 36 classroom sessions, 7 driving sessions, 7 observation sessions, and a final road skills examination, with each session lasting 50 minutes.
Virginia Driver Education Requirements by Situation
This is where most of the confusion lives. Two things to separate.
A learner’s permit does not require driver education. DMV lists the permit requirements as the application (form DL 1P), the fee, one proof of identity, one proof of legal presence, two proofs of Virginia residency, proof of your Social Security number if you have one, a vision screening, and the two-part knowledge exam. Driver education is not on that list.
A driver’s license may require it, depending on your age and your license history.
In fact the sequence usually runs the other way around. Driver education is not listed among the requirements for applying for a learner’s permit. But a learner’s permit is required before a student drives during in-car instruction — so the permit generally comes first, because it’s what allows the driving part of the course. And for adults using driver education as their licensing route, DMV says the program is completed while holding the permit.
Who needs it, by situation
| Your situation | Is driver education required? |
|---|---|
| Getting a learner’s permit, any age | No |
| Under 18, first license, never licensed anywhere | Yes — see the transfer note below |
| 18 or older, never licensed anywhere, licensed through Dec 31, 2026 | No — it’s one of two routes. You need a learner’s permit either way |
| 18 or older, holding a valid out-of-state license (or one expired no more than a year) | No — DMV says you don’t complete driver training requirements or tests |
| Ages 18–20, never licensed anywhere, licensed on or after Jan 1, 2027 | Yes — plus a 90-day permit |
| 21 or older, never licensed anywhere, on or after Jan 1, 2027 | No — the two-route choice remains |
| Failed the knowledge exam three times | Additional instruction is required — which course depends on your age and whether you’d already done classroom driver ed. See below |
| Failed the road skills test three times | Yes — the behind-the-wheel component (seven driving periods) |
| 18 or older, previously licensed, but never for the class or endorsement you now want | A separate rule can apply — confirm with DMV |
Moving to Virginia under 18 with a license from elsewhere? DMV has a license exchange path for juvenile applicants, and Virginia law also provides for a six-month temporary license in some transfer situations. Neither necessarily requires a Virginia course. Confirm your situation with Virginia DMV.
What a Virginia Driver Education Program Includes
DMV describes a state-approved program as:
- 36 classroom sessions
- 7 driving sessions
- 7 observation sessions
- A final road skills examination
Each session is 50 minutes long.
DMV describes the Virginia program in 50-minute sessions rather than clock hours. It does use clock hours in one place — the minimum it applies to driver education completed outside Virginia. So if a school advertises a number of “behind-the-wheel hours,” it’s worth asking how that maps to DMV’s session count.
DMV’s driver training schools page describes the in-car portion as 14 periods including the final road skills examination, while its driver education page lists that exam separately. Either way, the end-of-course road skills examination is the standard route for students completing a school program.
It isn’t the only route. Virginia law lets an applicant who completes driver instruction at a driver training school keep the option of having DMV administer the behind-the-wheel examination instead, and a driver training school cannot administer it to an applicant whose driving is under DMV medical control. Under-18 home-schooled students taught by their own parent or guardian are a separate case — Virginia law requires DMV to administer their examination. If any of those apply to you, check with DMV before assuming your school will test you.
The classroom component can be taken online through a driver training school. DMV describes only the classroom component as available online.
The 90-minute parent/teen component
Students under 18 also complete a 90-minute component covering topics such as juvenile driving restrictions and the risks of impaired driving. DMV lists exemptions for students who are 18 or older, emancipated minors, and unaccompanied minors.
Where you live can change how you take it. In Planning District 8 — Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties, and the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas and Manassas Park — this component must be completed in person, with a parent or guardian attending.
Where You Can Take Driver Education
Three routes:
Public or private schools. The standard path for students still in school.
DMV-licensed driver training schools. Open to “residents of all ages.” Schools must be licensed and bonded by DMV, and only licensed schools appear on the official directory.
Home school. Available to students educated under Virginia’s home-instruction statute (§ 22.1-254.1). The classroom portion can come from a driver training school, a public or private school, or an approved correspondence course from DMV’s published list. The in-car portion follows DMV’s Home-Schooled In-Car Driver Education Information Sheet (HS-3), which sets out who may provide instruction and what’s required. Parents submit form HS-1 with the original proof of classroom completion, plus either a letter from the school division superintendent or designee acknowledging the child is home-schooled or a copy of the notice of intent to home-school.
Before you pay
Confirm the school is currently licensed by DMV. DMV publishes a “Find a Driver Training School” directory and a Disciplinary Action Report showing penalties it has imposed on schools or instructors. Both are worth checking before you hand over money.
Course prices are set by each school and are separate from DMV fees.
Step-by-Step: Completing Driver Education
For a typical first-time applicant who has never held a license anywhere:
- Decide whether you need it. Use the table above. If you’re 18 or older and expect to be licensed before January 1, 2027, this is a route you can choose — not an obligation.
- Study for the two-part knowledge exam. You’ll need to pass it to get your permit, and your permit is what unlocks the driving sessions.
- Get your Virginia learner’s permit. Minimum age is 15 years and 6 months. If you’re under 18, a parent or legal guardian signs your application. The fee is $3 plus the yearly cost of a driver’s license.
- Enroll in a state-approved program. Check the school’s DMV license status first. You’ll need your learner’s permit before you drive during in-car instruction, and if you’re 18 or older DMV describes the program as completed while you hold the permit.
- Complete the classroom sessions, in person or online through a driver training school.
- Complete the driving and observation sessions, plus the parent/teen component if you’re under 18.
- Take the final road skills examination. For most students completing a school program this is built into the course — but see the exceptions above if you’d rather test at DMV after a driver training school program, if your driving is under DMV medical control, or if you’re an under-18 home-schooled student taught by a parent or guardian.
- Make sure your completion certificate reaches DMV — see below.
- Apply for your license once you’ve met the other requirements for your age group. The minimum age for a Virginia driver’s license is 16 years and 3 months.
How Your Completion Certificate Reaches DMV
DMV’s current pages give different instructions here, so the safe approach covers both.
Several DMV pages state that the completion certificate “must be submitted to DMV by the driver training school” and that “DMV does not accept completion certificates directly from applicants” — language DMV mostly publishes under its January 1, 2027 sections. But DMV’s license application page and appointment checklist still list the driver education completion certificate among the documents to bring.
Confirm with your school that they sent it, and bring your copy to your appointment. That works either way and costs you nothing.
If You’re Under 18
Driver education is one piece. DMV also requires you to:
- Hold your learner’s permit for at least nine months before your license is issued
- Have a parent or guardian certify at least 45 hours of driving practice, 15 of them after sunset
- Complete the 90-minute parent/teen component
You may also be required to attend a court licensing ceremony with a parent or guardian to receive your license. If you turn 18 before the ceremony, DMV says you still attend — you just don’t need a parent or guardian with you.
If You’re 18 or Older
This section is for people who have never held a license issued by any state, U.S. territory, or foreign country. If you hold a valid out-of-state license — or one expired for no more than a year — DMV says you don’t have to complete driver training requirements or tests at all.
One qualifier worth knowing: a separate rule can apply if you have held a license before but have never held the class or endorsement needed for the type of vehicle you now want to operate. Confirm that route with Virginia DMV.
One thing to clear up first: driver education is not a substitute for the learner’s permit. You need a permit either way. What driver education changes is how long you hold it and where your road test happens.
If you’re licensed through December 31, 2026, you have two routes:
- Complete driver education while holding your permit. DMV says this waives the mandatory 60-day holding period and the DMV-administered skills exam.
- Hold your learner’s permit at least 60 days and complete a Behind-the-Wheel Checklist before taking the road skills test at DMV.
Starting January 1, 2027, that choice narrows for one group: first-time applicants ages 18 through 20 will need driver education and a 90-day permit. Applicants 21 and older keep the two-route choice, with driver education completed while holding the permit.
What matters for the 2027 rule is when your license is issued, not when you apply. Our ages 18–20 guide covers that change in full.
Preparing for the Knowledge Exam
Failing three times triggers additional required instruction — but exactly what you have to take depends on your age, on which test you failed, and on whether you’d already done classroom driver education.
If you failed the knowledge exam three times:
| Your situation | What DMV’s dedicated page says you take |
|---|---|
| Under 18, classroom driver education not yet completed | The 36-session classroom portion, completed after the third failure |
| Under 18, classroom already completed before the third failure | An 8-hour Driver’s Manual course, online or in person |
| 18 or older | An 8-hour Driver’s Manual course, in a classroom or online |
If you take the 8-hour course online, DMV says it must be completed through a DMV-licensed online driver training school or through VADETS. Whichever route applies, the completion date has to fall after the date of your third failure. DMV also notes that classes taken at a driver improvement clinic do not satisfy this requirement.
If you failed the road skills test three times, it’s a different requirement: DMV says you take the behind-the-wheel component — seven 50-minute driving periods, with no observation sessions and no road skills test attached.
(DMV’s general Knowledge Exam page states this more broadly, as classroom instruction regardless of age. Its dedicated three-exam-failures page is the more specific guidance and is what’s summarized above. If your situation is unusual — home-schooled, or partway through a program — confirm with DMV which course you need.)
So for an adult who wasn’t otherwise required to take driver education, three failures can turn an optional course into a required one.
The exam has two parts: 10 road sign questions where you must answer all 10 correctly, and 30 general knowledge questions where you need 24 correct. Our guide to how many questions are on the Virginia DMV permit test covers the format in more detail.
If you want to check yourself before your DMV visit, we have free Virginia general knowledge practice tests built from the topics on Part 2.
Common Questions
Can I take driver education online? DMV describes the classroom component as available online through a driver training school. The driving and observation sessions are not described as online.
Do I need a learner’s permit before starting the course? Driver education isn’t listed among the requirements for applying for a permit. But you do need a learner’s permit before you drive during in-car instruction, and if you’re 18 or older DMV describes the program as completed while holding the permit — so plan on getting the permit first.
How long does the program take? That depends on your school’s schedule. DMV defines the program by sessions — 36 classroom, 7 driving, 7 observation, plus the final road skills exam, at 50 minutes each — not by a fixed calendar length.
I took driver education in another state. Does it count? It can, depending on your situation. For applicants at least 16 years and 3 months old but under 18 who hold a valid out-of-state license, DMV says the previous program must have met a minimum of 30 classroom hours and six in-car instruction hours. Virginia law also provides a separate route for some transfer applicants that does not require those minimums. Ask DMV which applies to you.
How do I know a driving school is legitimate? Check DMV’s Find a Driver Training School directory — only currently licensed schools appear — and DMV’s Disciplinary Action Report.
What to Do Next
- Work out which group you’re in using the table above. If you already hold a license from another state, most of this doesn’t apply to you.
- If you need driver education, get your learner’s permit first. The permit is what allows the in-car sessions.
- Check the school’s DMV license status before you pay anything.
- Study for the knowledge exam before your DMV visit. Three failures trigger additional required instruction — the course you’d have to take depends on your age and what you’ve already completed.
- Confirm your certificate reached DMV — and bring your copy anyway.
- Contact Virginia DMV if your situation is unusual: a license from another state or country, a home-school program, or a course taken outside Virginia.
Official Sources
Based on current Virginia DMV guidance and the Code of Virginia. Confirm your own situation with Virginia DMV.
- Virginia DMV — Driver Education
- Virginia DMV — Driver Training Schools
- Virginia DMV — Apply for a Learner’s Permit
- Virginia DMV — Driver License Eligibility Requirements
- Virginia DMV — Apply for a Driver’s License
- Virginia DMV — Knowledge Exam
- Virginia DMV — Three Exam Failures
- Virginia DMV — Driver Education Information for Home Schoolers
- Code of Virginia § 46.2-334 — licensing applicants under 18
- Code of Virginia § 46.2-324.1 — the requirement effective January 1, 2027
Last verified: August 16, 2026
