Transferring an Out-of-State Driver’s License to Virginia: Deadline, Documents & Tests
Last Verified: 17 August 2026
Quick Answer
You have 60 days. Virginia DMV states it plainly: “When you move to Virginia, you have 60 days to get a Virginia driver’s license to legally drive here.”
If you already hold a license from another U.S. state, you will usually skip the driver-training step. DMV’s application page states: “If you are age 18 or older and have a license from another state that is not expired for more than one year, you only need to complete Step 2.” Step 1 is driver training. Step 2 is submitting documents and paying the fee.
What you cannot skip is the vision screening. DMV: “Everyone must take the vision screening.”
Bring: your current out-of-state license · one proof of identity · one proof of legal presence · two proofs of Virginia residency · proof of your Social Security number if you have been issued one.
Commercial drivers get 30 days, not 60 — and your vehicle has its own separate 30-day clocks. Both are covered below.
Scope: this guide covers licenses issued by another U.S. state, territory or jurisdiction. Exchanging a foreign license follows different rules that vary by country, and we are deliberately not covering them here. Check with Virginia DMV for a license issued outside the United States.
The 60-day deadline, and the two other clocks people miss
Moving to Virginia starts more than one countdown, and they are not the same length.
| What, in DMV’s words | Deadline |
|---|---|
| Get a Virginia driver’s license — “you have 60 days to get a Virginia driver’s license to legally drive here” | 60 days |
| Get a Virginia CDL, if you hold a commercial license — “you must get a Virginia CDL within 30 days” | 30 days |
| Title your vehicle — “title your vehicle within 30 days of moving to Virginia” | 30 days |
| Register your vehicle — “register it at any Virginia DMV customer service center within 30 days of moving here” | 30 days |
The license deadline is the one this guide is about. The vehicle deadlines are shorter, so the license’s 60 days is not the clock to plan everything around. If you brought a car, the title clock is already running.
DMV states the license rule as a condition of driving legally here — not as a soft recommendation.
One thing DMV’s page does not spell out is exactly when the clock starts. Its wording is “When you move to Virginia” — it does not define a moving date for people whose move is staged over weeks, who arrive before their household does, or who are here on a temporary posting. If your situation is anything other than a clean move-in date, ask DMV when your 60 days began rather than counting from a date you picked yourself.
Will you have to take the tests again?
This is the question most people arrive with, and it needs an honest answer rather than a confident one.
The short version: if your license is current, DMV’s guidance points to no — and two separate DMV sources cover the two different things you might be asked to do.
Testing. The Virginia Driver’s Manual states it as a condition: “You will need to take the knowledge exam if you do not hold a valid driver’s license from another U. S. state…” — and the same construction for the road skills test. Read plainly, holding a valid license from another U.S. state means you do not need them.
Driver training. DMV’s application page covers the other half: “If you are age 18 or older and have a license from another state that is not expired for more than one year, you only need to complete Step 2.” Step 1 is the driver-training step, so that is the part you skip.
⚠️ The two pages use different words for the same applicant, and it matters if your license has lapsed.
The manual’s testing waiver is keyed to a “valid” license. The application page’s training waiver is keyed to a license “not expired for more than one year.”
Those are not the same test. A license that expired six months ago is not valid, but it is not expired for more than one year.
We are not resolving that difference for you. If your license is current, you are comfortably inside both. If it has lapsed at all, the two pages qualify you differently — confirm your own case with DMV before you plan your day around a waiver.
The vision screening is not part of any of this. DMV states: “Everyone must take the vision screening.” Whatever else is waived, this is not.
When you should expect more than a document check
The waivers DMV describes carry conditions. Check whether you are inside them.
- The “only Step 2” statement is scoped to applicants “age 18 or older.” If you are under 18 and hold a license from another state, DMV does not describe this route on that page. Contact DMV about your own situation rather than assuming the adult route applies to you.
- The manual’s testing waiver is keyed to a valid license. If yours has expired, you are outside that wording, and you should plan for the possibility of the full application path.
If you land in one of those situations, the knowledge exam may be part of your day after all. It is a two-part test and it is not a formality — so if there is any chance you will sit it, working through some Virginia general knowledge practice tests beforehand costs nothing and removes the worst outcome, which is a second trip.
What to bring
DMV lists the documents for a driver’s license application as:
- One proof of identity
- One proof of legal presence
- Two proofs of Virginia residency
- Proof of your Social Security number, if you have been issued one
And for this specific case, one more: your current out-of-state license. DMV names it directly — “Current driver’s license if you are applying to exchange one issued by another U.S. state, territory or jurisdiction.”
A caution that applies to every document list, including this one. Virginia DMV publishes its accepted documents as examples, and its document guide carries the sentence “This list of acceptable documents may change without prior notice.” Check DMV’s current list before you travel to an office — a document that worked in your last state, or on your last visit, is not automatically on today’s Virginia list.
Two proofs of residency is the awkward one in this particular situation. You have just moved — which is exactly when you are least likely to have two settled documents showing a Virginia address. Sorting that out before you travel is worth more than any other preparation.
How to apply
Start the application online
DMV recommends it for exactly this case: “Exchanging an out-of-state license and/or getting a REAL ID? Start your application online before your visit.”
Starting online saves counter time. It does not replace the document check — the documents are inspected in person. You can handle other DMV business online too, but the exchange itself needs a visit.
Go to a customer service center
DMV states that once training requirements are met, you can apply “at any DMV customer service center” — so you are not tied to one particular office. Find a DMV customer service center that suits your schedule, and confirm current hours with DMV before traveling.
Decide about REAL ID before you go, not at the counter
You are already making an in-person visit with original documents. That is the same visit a REAL ID needs, and DMV’s own guidance pairs the two: “Exchanging an out-of-state license and/or getting a REAL ID? Start your application online before your visit.”
A REAL ID is optional in Virginia and costs a $10 one-time surcharge on top of the license fee. If you want one, deciding now means one trip instead of two. The document categories DMV lists are the same ones above — but check DMV’s current REAL ID requirements before you go, particularly if your name appears differently across your documents.
What it costs
DMV lists a standard eight-year driver’s license at $32. Shorter terms and ID cards are priced differently, so check DMV’s current schedule — or our breakdown of Virginia DMV fees — for the credential you actually need.
If you add a REAL ID, that is the $10 one-time surcharge on top.
The eligibility basics
DMV states you must be “A resident of the Commonwealth of Virginia” and “At least 16 years and 3 months of age.”
Residency is the demanding half here, because you are being asked to evidence something you have only just become. That is what the two residency documents are for.
Frequently asked questions
How long do I have to transfer my out-of-state license to Virginia?
DMV states you have 60 days from moving to Virginia to get a Virginia driver’s license in order to drive here legally. Commercial drivers must get a Virginia CDL within 30 days.
Do I have to retake the written test and the road test?
If your license is current, DMV’s guidance points to no: Virginia’s Driver’s Manual states you need the knowledge exam and road skills test only if you do not hold a valid license from another U.S. state. If your license has expired, you are outside that wording — confirm your own case with DMV.
Do I still need a vision screening?
Yes. DMV states everyone takes the vision screening.
What if my out-of-state license has expired?
DMV’s “only need to complete Step 2” statement applies to a license “not expired for more than one year.” If yours lapsed longer ago, you fall outside that sentence — plan for the possibility of the full application process and confirm with DMV.
What if I’m under 18?
The statement about skipping the driver-training step is scoped to applicants “age 18 or older.” DMV does not describe that route for under-18 holders of an out-of-state license on that page, so contact DMV about your situation.
Do I have to hand over my old license?
DMV names your current driver’s license among the documents to bring when you apply to exchange one issued by another U.S. state, territory or jurisdiction. Bring it. Ask DMV what happens to it at the counter.
Can I do the whole thing online?
No. You can start the application online, and DMV recommends it for exchanges, but the documents are checked in person at a customer service center.
What about my car?
Separate and shorter deadlines: DMV states you must title your vehicle within 30 days of moving to Virginia and register it at a Virginia DMV customer service center within 30 days. This guide is about the license.
I have a license from another country, not another state.
Different rules, and they vary by country. This guide deliberately does not cover them — check with Virginia DMV.
Official sources
All information above was verified against these official sources on 17 August 2026. Requirements can change — and DMV states its accepted-document list may change without prior notice — so confirm current details with Virginia DMV before you travel to an office.
- Virginia DMV — New to Virginia
- Virginia DMV — Apply for a Driver’s License
- Virginia DMV — Driver License Eligibility Requirements
- Virginia DMV — Virginia Driver’s Manual, Section 1: Testing (DMV 39B)
- Virginia DMV — REAL ID
- Virginia DMV — Getting a Virginia Driver’s License or Identification (ID) Card (DMV 141)
This guide is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles.
