Virginia graduated driver licence stages

By the end of this topic you can

• You can name the stages a Virginia teen goes through before full driving privileges.
• You can state the minimum ages for a permit and for a license.
• You can explain the nine-month permit holding period for under-18s.
• You can describe the passenger and midnight-to-4 a.m. limits.
• You can explain how the adult route differs, including the 2027 change.

What you need to know and understand

• You can apply for a learner's permit once you are over 15 years and 6 months old.
• Under 18, you must hold the permit for at least nine months, or until you turn 18 if that comes first.
• The earliest age for a driver's license is 16 years and 3 months.
• Under-18 applicants must complete approved driver education and 45 hours of certified supervised driving, 15 after sunset.
• Licenses issued to under-18s carry passenger limits and a midnight to 4 a.m. driving limit, which end on the 18th birthday.
• Until December 31, 2026, new drivers 18 and over need a driver training course or a permit held 60 days before the first DMV road test.
• From January 1, 2027, first-time applicants aged 18 to 20 need driver education and a permit held at least 90 days.

The teen path, step by step

1. Learner's permit: pass the knowledge exam and vision screening once you are over 15 years and 6 months old.
2. Practice: drive with a qualified supervisor and log at least 45 hours, 15 of them after sunset.
3. Driver education: complete a state-approved course, including the in-car part and a road skills assessment.
4. Hold the permit at least nine months (or until 18).
5. License from 16 years and 3 months: under-18s get a license with passenger and curfew limits.
6. Full privileges at 18: the passenger and curfew limits end on your 18th birthday.

What the under-18 license still limits

In your first year of driving alone you may carry only one passenger under 21 who is not a family or household member. After the first year, you may carry up to three passengers under 21, but only when driving to or from a school-sponsored activity, when a licensed driver aged 21 or older sits beside you, or in an emergency.

You may not drive between midnight and 4 a.m. unless an exception applies, such as driving to or from work. A later page in this syllabus covers these limits in detail.

If you are 18 or older

Adults skip the nine-month holding period, the 45-hour log and the provisional limits. Until the end of 2026, a first-time adult driver needs either a driver training course or a permit held for 60 days before the first DMV road test.

From January 1, 2027, the rule splits by age. If you are 18 to 20, you will need both an approved driver training course and a permit held for at least 90 days. If you are 21 or older, the course or 60-day permit choice stays. The site's guide to Virginia license rules for new adult drivers explains both routes in more depth.

Common mistakes

• Counting the nine months from your birthday instead of from the day the permit was issued.
• Assuming the restrictions end after one year. The passenger and curfew limits last until you turn 18.
• Thinking an 18-year-old in 2027 can still use the 60-day permit route. From January 1, 2027, ages 18 to 20 need driver education and a 90-day permit.
• Forgetting that family and household members do not count toward the passenger limit, and driving friends illegally as a result.

Test yourself: Virginia graduated driver licence stages

Answer each question, then read the explanation. Questions come in a random order each time.

Go deeper

• Virginia Permit Test and Learner’s Permit
• Virginia Driver’s License Over 18
• Virginia Permit Practice Test