Virginia learner’s permit requirements
Everything here comes from Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles pages, handbooks or state law, and each fact links to its source. Where Virginia doesn’t publish something, we say so rather than guess.
Last checked September 22, 2026.
At a glance
- Minimum age
- 15 years, 6 months
- To pass the knowledge test
- All 10 signs + 24 of 30
- Fees
- $35 total
- Supervised driving
- 45 hours (15 at night)
- Where you take the test
- In person
The knowledge test and your permit
- Test format
- Road signs: 10 + General knowledge: 3010 road-sign questions (all 10 must be correct), then 30 general-knowledge questions (24 to pass)Sources 123
- Time limit
- None published
- Permit and test fees
- $35 totalApplicants pay the $3 learner's permit fee plus the driver's license fee up front ($4 a year, $32 for the usual 8-year license, $20 minimum), and that covers the exam. Assumes the standard 8-year license term ($4 a year).Sources 123
- Minimum age for a permit
- 15 years, 6 monthsAt least 15 years and six months to apply for a learner's permit.Sources 32
- Test languages
- 26 languagesEnglish, American Sign Language, Amharic, Arabic, Chinese, Chinese (Traditional), Dari, Farsi, French, German, Haitian Creole, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Kurdish, Mongolian, Nepali, Pashto, Punjabi, Russian, Spanish, Thai, Twi, Turkish, Urdu, VietnameseSources 123
- If you fail
- Under 18: must wait a full 15 days after failing18 and older: one attempt per business day. After three failures you must complete the classroom portion of driver education (or, for 18+, an 8-hour DMV-approved driver's manual course) before a fourth attempt. Each retake requires a new learner's permit application; a passed exam expires if no permit/license is issued within 1 year.Sources 123
From permit to full license
- Learner's permit at 15.5 after vision screening and two-part knowledge exam; drive only with a licensed driver 21+ in the front seat.
- Under 18: hold the permit at least nine months, complete driver education (classroom and in-car, which includes the road skills test) and 45 hours of supervised driving incl. 15 after sunset certified by a parent/guardian; provisional license until 18 with curfew and passenger limits under Virginia law.
- Age 18+ (never licensed): hold the permit 60 days or complete driver education before the road skills test.
- From January 1, 2027, first-time applicants 18-20 must hold the permit at least 90 days and complete driver education; 21+ keep the 60-day-or-driver-ed choice.
Before you go
Rules and fees change. Confirm appointments, documents and current fees on the official Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles website: dmv.virginia.gov.