Virginia Driver License Requirements Ages 18-20: 2027 Rules

Effective date of the new rules: January 1, 2027 · Last verified: August 16, 2026

Virginia driver license requirements ages 18-20 are changing for first-time applicants on January 1, 2027. The change is aimed at people who have never held a driver’s license anywhere.

If you are in that group, this guide explains what changes, whether it applies to you, and what to do about it.

These rules are not in effect yet. Through December 31, 2026, the current requirements still apply. Everything described below as a January 1, 2027 change starts on that date.

Quick Answer: What Changes on January 1, 2027?

Starting January 1, 2027, if you are 18, 19, or 20 years old and you have never held a driver’s license issued by any state, U.S. territory, or foreign country, you must do both of the following:

Hold a Virginia learner’s permit for at least 90 days, and
Complete a state-approved driver education program while you hold that permit

Through December 31, 2026, drivers 18 and older in this situation can choose either one — hold a permit for 60 days or complete driver education. Starting in 2027, ages 18 through 20 must do both.

This article describes that standard first-time-license path. Virginia law also covers some applicants who have been licensed before but are seeking a vehicle class or endorsement they have never held — more on that below.

The core under-18 requirements remain unchanged, and applicants 21 and older keep the 60-day-permit-or-driver-education choice.

This change comes from HB 1224, which amended § 46.2-324.1 of the Code of Virginia.

Who Do the New Virginia Rules Apply To?

The main audience for this article

Two things are true for most readers here:

1. You are 18, 19, or 20 years old.

The law covers applicants who are at least 18 and younger than 21. If you are 21 or older, this rule is not yours — see the comparison table below.

2. You have never held a driver’s license.

Virginia DMV describes this as having “never held a license issued by any state, U.S. territory or foreign country.” That means a full driver’s license, not a learner’s permit.

One more situation the law covers

The law also applies to a second group, and it is easy to miss: people who have been licensed before, but have never held the license class or endorsement required for the type of vehicle they now want to drive.

So a prior license does not automatically put you outside this rule. What matters is whether you have held the right kind of license for the vehicle you are applying to drive.

This article covers the standard first-time path, not the class and endorsement rules. If you have been licensed before and are now applying for a vehicle type you have never been licensed for, check with Virginia DMV for the requirements that apply to you.

Who this does not apply to

Anyone under 18. Your core requirements are unchanged.
Anyone 21 or older. The requirement in this article does not apply once you are 21 — you keep the 60-day-permit-or-driver-education choice. Other Virginia licensing requirements may still apply based on your situation.
Anyone who has already held a driver’s license from any state, U.S. territory, or foreign country that covered the type of vehicle they now want to drive.
Anyone whose Virginia license is issued before January 1, 2027. What matters is the date your license is issued.

A note on learner’s permits

A learner’s permit is not a driver’s license. Holding a Virginia learner’s permit — or a permit from another state — does not make you “previously licensed.” If a permit is all you have ever had, you are still a first-time license applicant.

Virginia Driver License Requirements Ages 18-20: What You Need to Do

Here is what the new requirements mean in practice. The section after this one walks through a workable sequence.

The 90-day learner’s permit period

Starting January 1, 2027, you must hold a Virginia learner’s permit for a minimum of 90 days before your license is issued.

That is up from the 60-day minimum that applies now — and unlike now, you cannot skip it by completing driver education instead. Ninety days is roughly three months of calendar time that cannot be compressed, so if you need your license by a particular date, count backward from it.

State-approved driver education

Starting January 1, 2027, driver education stops being optional for this age group. DMV requires you to complete a state-approved program while holding your permit.

A state-approved driver education program includes:

36 classroom sessions
7 driving sessions
7 observation sessions
A final road skills examination

Each session runs 50 minutes. The classroom portion can be taken online through a driver training school. Programs are offered by public schools, private schools, and DMV-licensed driver training schools.

Before you pay for a course, confirm the school is currently licensed by DMV. DMV publishes a “Find a Driver Training School” tool and a disciplinary action report for exactly this purpose.

The two tests — and where each one happens

The two-part knowledge exam is taken when you apply for your learner’s permit — normally at a DMV customer service center.

The road skills test is handled by your driver education program. Starting January 1, 2027, if you are a Virginia resident age 20 or younger who has never held a license, you complete the road skills test through your driver’s education program. The final road skills examination built into the program is your road test — you don’t need to book a separate DMV road test appointment on top of driver education.

Two situations are worth checking on first: Virginia law also lets an applicant ask DMV to administer the behind-the-wheel exam instead, and it does not allow a driver training school to give that exam to an applicant whose driving is subject to DMV medical review. If either applies to you, confirm with DMV before you plan around the program’s exam.

How the Rules Compare by Age

Requirements beginning January 1, 2027, for first-time license applicants who have never held a license from any state, U.S. territory, or foreign country. (Applicants who have been licensed before but never for the vehicle class or endorsement they now want should check with DMV.)

	Under 18	Ages 18–20	Age 21+
What you must do	Driver education and a 9-month permit	Driver education and a 90-day permit	Driver education or a 60-day permit
Is this a change?	Core requirements same as now	Yes — currently it’s driver education or a 60-day permit	This choice is same as now
Driver education	Required	Required	Optional — one of two routes
Road skills test	Through the driver education program	Through the driver education program	Depends on the route you choose

Under-18 applicants also need a parent or guardian to certify at least 45 hours of driving practice, 15 of which happened after sunset.

This table covers the requirement this article is about. Other Virginia licensing requirements may still apply depending on your situation — check DMV for your case.

What If You Already Have a Learner’s Permit Before January 1, 2027?

Getting your permit early does not exempt you from driver education.

DMV addresses this one directly in its FAQs. If you are 18, 19, or 20 and you obtain your license after January 1, 2027, you must show proof that you completed driver education — even if you got your learner’s permit in 2026.

What matters is the date your license is issued, not the date your permit was issued.

So if you are hoping to avoid the driver education requirement, only having your license issued before January 1, 2027 avoids it. Simply holding a permit before that date does not help.

What If You’ve Had a Driver’s License in Another State or Country?

If you can prove you were previously licensed in another state, a U.S. territory, or a foreign country, DMV states that you may not be required to repeat driver education or take the written and road skills tests.

Note the wording: may not be required. What applies depends on what you can document and which credential you held.

There is one distinction worth being clear about. A prior license generally takes you outside this rule when it covered the type of vehicle you now want to drive. If you held a license before but never held the class or endorsement required for the vehicle you are now applying for, this rule can still apply to you.

Either way, if you are transferring a license from outside Virginia, check DMV’s current guidance for your case rather than assuming an exemption.

If you hold a learner’s permit from another state

This is a different situation, because a permit is not a license. DMV says the new requirements do apply to people holding an out-of-state learner’s permit.

DMV’s pages conflict on whether prior out-of-state permit time counts for applicants ages 18–20. Do not assume either credit or a fresh 90-day clock. Contact Virginia DMV before planning your license date.

On driver education completed elsewhere: DMV says an out-of-state program completed while you held that state’s permit must document at least 30 classroom hours and six in-car hours. Ask DMV whether your specific program will be accepted.

Step-by-Step: Getting Your First Virginia Driver’s License at Age 18–20

This is the standard path, assuming you are applying on or after January 1, 2027 and have never held a driver’s license:

Gather your documents. One proof of identity, one proof of legal presence, two proofs of Virginia residency, and proof of your Social Security number if you have been issued one — though DMV can often verify your number electronically if you know it. Originals only — DMV does not accept photocopies. DMV’s Apply for a Learner’s Permit page lists exactly which documents qualify.
Study for the two-part knowledge exam. Do this before your DMV visit, not after. See the section below.
Go to a DMV customer service center. Submit the application (form DL 1P) and the fee, pass a vision screening, and take the knowledge exam. The minimum age for a Virginia learner’s permit is 15 years and 6 months, so age is not a barrier here.
Get your learner’s permit — and note the issue date. Your 90-day period starts from here.
Enroll in a state-approved driver education program. Check that the school is currently DMV-licensed. The program has to be completed while you hold the permit.
Complete the program, including the final road skills examination. This is your road test.
Sort out your completion certificate. DMV’s current pages give different instructions here. Several say the school must submit the certificate and that DMV will not accept it directly from applicants; DMV’s driver-education and license-application instructions also tell applicants to submit or bring the certificate. Confirm that your school sent it, and bring your copy to the appointment.
Once you have held your permit at least 90 days and finished driver education, apply for your license.

About the timeline: driver education can overlap the 90-day permit period, because it must be completed while you hold the permit. Your school’s schedule determines whether both finish within the same 90 days.

Preparing for the Virginia Knowledge Exam

Your 90-day permit period does not begin until DMV actually issues your permit. And DMV does not issue the permit until you pass the two-part knowledge exam. So failing the exam and coming back another day does not just delay a test — it delays the start of a three-month waiting period.

The exam has two parts:

Part 1: 10 road sign questions. You must answer all 10 correctly.
Part 2: 30 general knowledge questions. You must answer 24 correctly to pass.

Our guide to how many questions are on the Virginia DMV permit test covers the format and scoring in more detail.

If you want to test yourself before you go, we have free Virginia general knowledge practice tests built from the topics on Part 2.

Common Questions

How much does this cost? The learner’s permit fee is $3 plus the yearly cost of a driver’s license. A standard driver’s license is $32 for an eight-year credential. Driver education is priced by the school and is separate from DMV fees.

What if I hold a learner’s permit from another state? The 2027 requirements still apply to you. DMV’s pages disagree about whether time already held on that permit counts toward Virginia’s 90 days, so contact Virginia DMV about your specific permit history before you plan a license date.

What if I turn 21 during my 90-day permit period? Current DMV guidance does not spell out how this situation is handled. Contact Virginia DMV about your circumstances rather than assuming which rule applies.

What to Do Next

Check whether the new rules will apply to you at all. They mainly affect first-time license applicants. A prior license does not automatically put you outside the rule — Virginia law also reaches people who have never held the class or endorsement for the vehicle they now want to drive. If that’s you, check with DMV.
If you are 18–20 and expect to be licensed in 2027 or later: plan for both the 90-day permit period and a driver education program.
Count backward from when you need your license. The 90-day permit period is a hard minimum, and your school’s schedule may add to it.
Study for the knowledge exam before your DMV visit. Passing the first time is what starts your 90-day clock on schedule.
Contact Virginia DMV if your situation is unusual — a prior out-of-state permit, a license from another country, or a 21st birthday that falls in the middle of the process.

Official Sources

This article is based on current Virginia DMV guidance and the Code of Virginia. For your specific situation, always confirm with Virginia DMV.

Effective date of the new rules: January 1, 2027 Last verified: August 16, 2026

Virginia Driver License Requirements for Ages 18–20: New Rules Starting January 1, 2027

Quick Answer: What Changes on January 1, 2027?