Virginia ID Card: How Non-Drivers Get a State ID

Official sources last verified: 23 August 2026

Quick answer

A Virginia ID card is for residents who do not hold a US driver’s license or learner’s permit. DMV states it plainly: “Virginia residents of any age who do not already hold a learner’s permit or driver’s license issued within the United States may apply for a Virginia ID card.”

Age does not decide whether you qualify — it decides which application you use. DMV routes applicants under 15 to the child card: “For a child ID card (under age 15), complete the Application for an Identification Card for Minors Under 15 (form DL 5).” From 15 upwards it is the adult ID card on Form DL 1P. They are two separate processes, not one process with a younger version.

You cannot hold both. DMV’s rule is one sentence long, and it decides the whole question for most people:

“You may hold either a driver’s license, or ID card, but not both.”

It costs $2 per year, which DMV publishes as “$2 per year (minimum $10; maximum $16).”

The adult card is applied for on Form DL 1P, which DMV says you can complete “online or on paper”, and you bring proof of identity, two proofs of Virginia residency, proof of a Social Security number if you have been issued one, and — where it applies to you — proof of legal presence.

DMV states the card is mailed: “Your ID card will be securely mailed to your address on file.”

⚠️ If you already drive and want an ID card instead, that is a different transaction — and it ends your license. DMV calls it a license exchange, and it warns: “Once you complete this transaction, you will NO LONGER be a licensed driver and will not be eligible to operate a motor vehicle.” It is free at 70 and over. That section is below.

Card	Who DMV says it is for
Adult ID card	Virginia residents who do not already hold a learner’s permit or driver’s license issued within the United States. DMV’s eligibility wording is “residents of any age”, but applicants under 15 use the child card instead — so in practice this is the card from age 15 upwards. Applied for on Form DL 1P, online or on paper; DMV states the card is mailed to your address on file.
Child ID card	Children under 15, on a separate application — the Application for an Identification Card for Minors Under 15 (form DL 5) — obtained by a parent at a customer service center. DMV states applicants must appear in person for both originals and replacements.
Hearing impaired ID card	Someone with a hearing impairment who does not hold a permit or license issued from any state in the United States. DMV states it is the same as an adult ID card except for the notation, and gives no special privileges.
Identification Privilege Card	DMV describes it as a non-driving credential for people who are not US citizens and cannot meet Virginia’s legal presence requirements. Eligibility and documents are immigration-specific — go to DMV for those.

The rule that decides it for most people

You may hold a driver’s license or an ID card — not both.

That single sentence answers a surprising number of questions:

A licensed driver cannot simply add an ID card as a backup piece of identification.
Someone who stops driving does not automatically get one either. They have to exchange the license, which is a separate transaction with its own consequence.
A permit holder is also excluded. DMV’s eligibility wording covers a learner’s permit as well as a license, and it covers credentials “issued within the United States” — not only Virginia ones.

If you are not sure which category you fall into, ask DMV before you apply, because the answer changes which transaction you need rather than just which form you fill in.

What you need to apply

DMV asks for documents in these categories:

One proof of identity
One proof of legal presence — where it applies to you; see below
Two proofs of Virginia residency
One proof of Social Security number, if you have been issued one
Proof of a name change, if your name differs from your other documents

Note the count on residency: two, not one.

Legal presence is not asked for on every transaction. DMV’s legal presence page lists it as required when “Applying for a standard driver’s license or ID for the first time in Virginia”, when applying for a REAL ID for the first time, when a credential “becomes suspended, revoked or canceled”, and when it “is not renewed prior to expiration”. Those are the situations DMV lists on that page — read them as DMV’s list, not as every case that could arise.

DMV also names cases where you are not asked for it again. You will not be required to submit proof of legal presence again if you are “A U.S. citizen, a legal permanent resident of the U.S. or a conditional resident of the U.S and have presented proof of legal presence since 2004”, or “An approved asylee or refugee in the U.S. or a citizen of the Freely Associated states (Micronesia, Palau or Marshall Islands) and have presented supporting documentation to DMV since July 1, 2020.” DMV names those cases; it does not present them as the only ones, and it does not settle borderline situations on that page. Check which case you are in with DMV rather than assuming either way.

We are not going to publish the acceptable-document list. DMV maintains it in form DMV 141, it changes, and a stale list on our page could send you home from a counter. Check DMV’s current document guide before your visit — and if you are planning the trip, our guide to the Virginia DMV appointment system covers booking versus walking in.

What a Virginia ID card costs

Transaction	DMV’s published fee
New ID card, or renewal	$2 per year — DMV publishes "minimum $10; maximum $16"
License exchange for an ID card	$10 under age 70 · no charge at age 70 and over
Replacement ID card	$10
REAL ID upgrade	$10, plus the cost of the card you are applying for
Renewing in person when you could have renewed online or by mail	an additional $5
Adding the veteran indicator	nothing — but you still pay the card’s own fee

So an ID card is priced by its length, with a floor and a ceiling rather than one flat fee. Our breakdown of Virginia DMV fees sets these alongside the rest of DMV’s schedule, and DMV’s own fee page is the one that governs.

How long it lasts

An adult ID card expires on your birthday and is valid for up to eight years. DMV’s headline sentence is garbled as published — it reads “valid for you to 8 years” — but the same page states the rule cleanly for another group: an identification card that is not a REAL ID “will expire on your birthday and is valid for up to 8 years.” “Up to” is the operative phrase: eight years is a ceiling, not a promise.

DMV publishes exceptions to it on the same page:

Registry requirement. Individuals required to register with the Virginia State Police Sex Offender and Crimes Against Children registry “will be issued ID cards valid for no more than five years.”
Temporary authorization to be in the US, with a REAL ID. The credential “will be valid for the period of your authorized stay in the U.S. or for one year if there is no definite end date.” DMV adds: “You will not be eligible to receive a REAL ID if your authorized stay in the U.S. is less than 30 days from the date of your application.”
Temporary authorization, without a REAL ID. The card “will expire on your birthday and is valid for up to 8 years.”
Child cards run on a different clock — below.

DMV’s renewal page puts the same caution in general terms: a renewed card expires “at the end of the period of years which the card has been issued”. These are the exceptions DMV publishes on the pages checked here, not necessarily every case. Your expiry date is printed on your card and held by DMV — confirm it there rather than counting forward from any figure, including one on this page.

Child ID cards work on a different clock. DMV states they “will expire on the last day of the customer’s month of birth in a year when they reach an age divisible by 5 (such as 5, 10, 15.)”

Trading a driver’s license for an ID card

This is the route for a licensed driver who wants an ID card instead of a license.

DMV calls it a license exchange, and the license is surrendered. The consequence is stated in capitals on DMV’s own page:

“Once you complete this transaction, you will NO LONGER be a licensed driver and will not be eligible to operate a motor vehicle.”

Read that before you start it, not after. This is not a renewal, and it is not a way to hold both credentials — it is a swap in one direction.

The cost depends on your age:

“The cost of the identification card is $10 for individuals under the age of 70.”

“There is no charge for individuals age 70 and over.”

One timing rule worth knowing: “If your license will expire within 30 days, you cannot exchange it online.” At that point it is a customer service center visit.

The other Virginia ID cards

Child ID card. DMV states that “Parents can obtain ID cards for their children under age 15 at any DMV customer service center.” It is a separate application — form DL 5, the Application for an Identification Card for Minors Under 15, not the adult DL 1P. The fee is the same $2 per year (minimum $10; maximum $16), the parent certifies the child’s identity and residency, and DMV states that applicants “must appear in-person at a DMV customer service center (for both originals and replacements).” DMV also states that “Child ID cards issued to children age 13 or 14 will expire on their 16th birthday.”

Hearing impaired ID card. DMV describes it precisely, and the second half of the sentence matters as much as the first:

“This ID card is the same as an adult ID card except that it bears the notation ‘Hearing Impaired ID’. It does not provide special privileges, but does indicate that you have a hearing impairment.”

Eligibility follows the same either/or rule: it is for someone with a hearing impairment who does not hold a permit or license issued from any state in the United States.

Identification Privilege Card. DMV describes this as a non-driving credential for people who are not US citizens and cannot meet Virginia’s legal presence requirements. Eligibility and documents for it are immigration-specific, so we are not summarizing them here — go to DMV’s page for that card, or ask DMV directly.

The veteran indicator

If you served, you can have it printed on the card:

“If you’re a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces, you may add the word ‘Veteran’ to your driver’s license or ID card.”

And it does not add to the price — with one clarification DMV makes itself:

“Adding a veteran indicator costs nothing. But you will need to pay the standard fee for the license or ID you’re adding the indicator to.”

DMV lists more than one way to apply, including online, and states that online applicants submit their service documents within 45 days.

REAL ID on an ID card

A REAL ID is not only a driver’s license thing.

“A REAL ID is an optional, upgraded version of your driver’s license or ID card that has a star in the upper right corner.”

DMV describes it as a choice, not an obligation: “In Virginia, getting a REAL ID-compliant license or ID card is a choice.”

The cost is additive, in DMV’s own words: “$10 fee, plus the cost of the driver’s license or ID card you’re applying for.” A first REAL ID is completed at a customer service center.

Renewing and replacing

Renewing costs the same as getting one: “The cost to renew is $2 per year (minimum $10; maximum $16).” DMV mails a renewal application before the card expires, and states that “Every other cycle, you may renew your identification card online and save $1.” Renewing online is one of the transactions in our guide to Virginia DMV online services.

One fee worth avoiding: DMV’s renewal page states an additional $5 applies when you renew in person while you were eligible to renew online or by mail.

Replacing a lost, stolen or damaged ID card is its own transaction. DMV’s replacement page states: “A replacement ID card costs $10.”

Frequently asked questions

Can I have a Virginia ID card and a driver’s license at the same time?

No. DMV states you may hold either a driver’s license or an ID card, but not both.

How much does a Virginia ID card cost?

DMV publishes $2 per year, with a minimum of $10 and a maximum of $16. A replacement ID card costs $10, and a REAL ID adds a $10 fee on top of the card’s cost.

Can a child get a Virginia ID card?

Yes, on a separate application — form DL 5, for minors under 15. DMV states parents can obtain ID cards for children under age 15 at any customer service center, and that child ID card applicants must appear in person for originals and replacements.

I stopped driving. How do I swap my license for an ID card?

Through DMV’s license exchange, which requires surrendering the license. It costs $10 under age 70 and nothing at 70 and over — and DMV warns that once it is done you are no longer a licensed driver.

Is there an age limit for a Virginia ID card?

No — DMV’s eligibility wording is “residents of any age” who do not already hold a US learner’s permit or driver’s license. Age decides which application you use: under 15 is the child ID card on form DL 5, applied for by a parent in person; from 15 upwards it is the adult ID card on Form DL 1P.

Does an ID card work for flying?

That depends on whether the card is REAL ID compliant. DMV describes REAL ID as an optional upgrade available on an ID card as well as a license — check DMV’s REAL ID page for what applies to air travel rather than relying on a summary.

What documents do I need?

One proof of identity, two proofs of Virginia residency, and one proof of your Social Security number if you have been issued one — plus proof of a name change if that applies, and proof of legal presence where it applies to you. DMV states legal presence is required the first time you apply in Virginia, for a first REAL ID, after a suspension, revocation or cancellation, and where a credential was not renewed before it expired — with cases DMV names where it is not required again, including people who have already presented proof to DMV since 2004 (or since 1 July 2020 for approved asylees and refugees and citizens of the Freely Associated states). Check DMV’s current document guide for what counts, because the acceptable list changes.

How long is a Virginia ID card valid?

DMV states an adult ID card expires on your birthday and is valid for up to eight years — a ceiling, not a promise. DMV publishes exceptions: a card issued to someone required to register with the Virginia State Police Sex Offender and Crimes Against Children registry is valid for no more than five years, and for someone temporarily authorized to be in the US a REAL ID runs “for the period of your authorized stay in the U.S. or for one year if there is no definite end date.” Child cards expire in a year when the child reaches an age divisible by five, and a card issued at 13 or 14 expires on their 16th birthday. Confirm your own date with DMV.

Can I apply for an ID card entirely online?

DMV says the application form can be completed online or on paper, and that the card is mailed to your address on file. Whether your particular situation can be finished without a visit depends on your documents and your record — confirm with DMV rather than assuming.

Is the hearing impaired ID card different from a normal ID card?

DMV states it is the same as an adult ID card except for the notation, and that it does not provide special privileges.

Official sources

All information above was verified against these official sources on 23 August 2026. DMV’s fees, forms and document lists change — confirm current details with Virginia DMV before you apply.

This guide is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles.

Virginia ID Card: How Non-Drivers Get a State ID

Quick answer

The rule that decides it for most people

What you need to apply